Becoming Mrs Malfoy
by Elizabeth Alyson
Summary: Set in 7th Year. When Head Boy Draco Malfoy is disowned by his father, he joins up with his former enemies to help defeat Voldemort. Will the developing romance between Draco and Hermione help or hurt thier cause? PreOotP, OOC, AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: AU, OOC, Pre HBP. Mostly likely this is quite sterotypical in the beginning...don't worry, it will become more interesting as this goes on. Also, hopefully devoid of many of the grammatical errors found in some fics. Also, this first bit is fairly different from the rest of the story. So even if you don't like the first chappie, please give it at least another chapter, the story picks up there. Hope you enjoy!**

Disclaimer: For now, and all time in this fic, I do not own any characters or story lines that you recognize as someone else's. Mainly JK Rowling's.

"I just want you to be happy," he murmured sleepily against the top of her head.

Hermione smiled into his cotton t-shirt and assured him that she was very happy. She moved her fingers through his tousled hair, stopping to untangle her ring from a messy tangle.

Rolling away from the man laying beside her, Hermione looked down at the ring that encircled her fourth finger. The band was made of braided gold, and set with a diamond. Small rubies lay in the creases of the braided metal, the ring old and delicate.

Hermione smiled softly to herself, remembering the night he had first shown her the ring he wished to wed her with. An old heirloom recovered from the ruins of his home after the War.

As always, the war was painful for Hermione to think about. Those short months had changed her world, and nothing could be the same again. And yet, as she looked at the now sleeping face beside her, she was reminded that the future was bright.

He moaned softly in his sleep, and Hermione put a cool hand to his face. So much had changed. The war had left its mark on him. The scar at the corner of his chin, indented from the Curse, and the strange wiry texture and color of the hair that had finally grown in on his head.

His eyes opened, and Hermione was once again startled by their intensity. He smiled up at her concerned face and pulled her to him.

"What are you worrying about now, love?"

"You, of course, silly," Hermione replied.

"My dear Mrs. Malfoy, you have nothing to worry about, except the fact that if you don't sleep now, you will have some terribly dark circles under your eyes come morning." He replied, kissing her on the nose.

Hermione Malfoy sighed, and placed her head in the indent of her husband's shoulder. Her husband. As she drifted into slumber, Draco held her closely, stroking her head until her breathing evened.

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	2. Chapter 2

**You've made it to Chapter Two, where the real story begins! I'm uploading a few chapters all at once to get this started.**

_FIVE YEARS EARLIER_

Hermione laughed loudly as Ron barreled towards her across the platform. Harry followed behind, lugging his trunk, as well as Ron's.

"HERMIONE! Bloody hell, I missed you!!" Ron bellowed as he enveloped her tightly in his lanky arms.

"Language, Ron!" Hermione reprimanded cheerily.

"Oy, Hermione, loosen up. What are you going to do, give me a detention?" Ron laughed

Hermione untangled herself from Ron's embrace and stepped back, smiling smugly.

"Actually Ron, yes, I may just have to do that."

Harry puffed up behind Ron in time to hear the last exchange, as well as glimpse the badge pinned beneath the Gryffindor insignia on her lapel.

"Hermione! Congratulations! You've made Head Girl!" he cried excitedly, pulling her into his arms for a large bear hug.

Hermione laughed excitedly, pushing her bushy hair out of her face. She was so happy to see her two best friends after the long summer. And now, at the start of their seventh year, she was more ready than ever to catch up with them.

The three chattered excitedly as they dragged their things along the train and looked for an empty compartment. The door slide shut with a band behind them, and they sat down, all slightly out of breath.

Hermione glanced at her wristwatch and noted that it was nearly time for her to make her way to the front of the train and meet with the Head Boy.

Truthfully, she was not very excited about this, as neither Harry nor Ron would be joining her in the Head's living quarters, and she would miss the company of her roommates.

Hermione also nursed a sinking suspicion that a certain albino ferret would be sporting a badge similar to her own. She had grudgingly admitted to herself that her marks were only marginally above his own, and that Dumbledore, for some reason she could not fathom, trusted Malfoy.

All these added up to only one thing…

The door banged open, and Hermione glanced up irritably. She was not taken with loud noises that interrupted her reveries. She first saw that silver badge, and felt her stomach lurch.

As her eyes traveled upwards, she heard Harry growl, "Get out, Malfoy!"

Her eyes connected to the haughty gaze of none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Granger. Potty. Weasel. How…lovely…to see you all. Of course, I'd rather kiss Snape's arse than to stick around here, but it seems that Granger here is late for our little meeting," He sneered.

Hermione sighed inwardly, and got up, casting a pained glanced at her two friends, who stared back at her pityingly.

The walk to the front of the train was agonizingly long and silent. Malfoy has already changed into his robes, which billowed out behind him as he strode down the passage.

_This_, Hermione thought, _was going to be a long train ride_.

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Hermione flopped back onto her new bed, exhausted. After flicking her wand at her suitcase, she closed her eyes and listened to the rustle of her clothing putting itself away. It was a handy little spell she had picked up in _Housekeeping_, and she was quite proud of herself for mastering the technique so quickly.

The train ride had been trying to say the least. She and Malfoy had sat in stony silence for most of the ride.

She had offered him a packet of sandwiches when lunchtime came about, but he had simply glared at her and taken out a book.

_It looks like the Head's quarters are going to be awfully quiet this year_, Hermione thought dully. She had always imagined her final year to be filled with shared jokes and study time in front of the large fireplace in the common area. Now, it seemed doubtful that two words would be shared between them.

Hopping up, Hermione decided to explore her living space. Her room was nice, with a large bay window looking out over the grounds. The bed was pushed against the far wall, different from her bed in Gryffindor tower in that it lacked a canopy. Otherwise, the same maroon bedspread lay across it, with two crisp white pillows.

The chest of drawers near the doorway was full of her nightclothes, knickers, socks, and other small items. The standing closet near the window where she had sent her robes, blouses, and trousers had a long mirror on the inside, as Hermione discovered on opening the right hand door.

She stepped outside her room onto the landing overlooking the common area. A wide staircase led up to the landing, which housed 3 doors. One door to her room, the opposite, she assumed, to Malfoy's.

The middle door, however, Hermione opened carefully to reveal a sizeable bathroom. The familiar sunk in tub was the first thing one noticed in stepping into the bathroom, but on closer inspection, Hermione observed a long counter with two sinks along the far wall. On either side of her were to narrow doors.

Opening the right door, Hermione found a little tiled room with a showerhead protruding from the wall.

The opposite room housed the loo.

Stepping onto the landing once more, Hermione walked down the stairs into the common area.

The room was elegant, but plain. The floors were a dark wood, although thick area rugs had been placed tastefully about. There were two large tables with comfortable chairs, as well as a large couch in front of the fireplace.

Overflowing bookshelves lined the walls, and Hermione smiled happily. Each Head Boy and Girl left several books that had been most important to him or her during school on those shelves. Over the years, a vast library of sorts had accumulated, and Hermione couldn't wait to start working her way through it.

Tying her hair back with an elastic, Hermione pulled a dusty volume off the nearest shelf. Blowing grime off the gilt letters, Hermione made out the title, _Wandless Magic: Fact or Fiction?_

She settled in with the book in front of the cheerily crackling fireplace.

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The portrait hole swung open and Draco stalked in.

Granger was sitting on the couch, intently reading an aged volume. _Typical_, he thought and smirked to himself.

He then thought of the conversation that had just taken place, and the task before him. The smirk faded, and Draco stood frozen in his spot, closing his eyes and wishing that he could be anywhere but this room.

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The portrait swing shut with a bang, causing Hermione to jump. She looked up to see Malfoy standing at the entrance to the Common Room.

Nodding quickly to him, she looked back down at her book. _Best if I just stay out of his way_, she thought to herself.

But Malfoy, it seemed, had other ideas.

A shadow fell over the words that Hermione was reading, and she looked up again, to see Malfoy looking down at her with a slightly pained expression on his face.

"May I speak with you a moment?" he asked, voice strained.

Hermione nodded again, and motioned for him to sit down. She braced herself for what she was sure was about to be a stream of insults.

He sat stiffly on the edge of the couch and ground his teeth together.

"I've been to see Dumbledore. He says I need to talk to you about…something…" he trailed off.

Hermione's expression softened. It didn't seem that he was about to insult her.

"Go on." She said quietly.

"Well…I suppose I must. Dumbledore said I must, Draco mumbled, more to himself than to Hermione in particular.

"You see," he began in a louder and more composed voice, "there have been some changes over this summer, and Dumbledore thinks you would be the easiest one for me to address…"

**Once again...reviews greatly appreciated!**


	3. Spoons, Runes, and Half Moons

**Onwards, to the conversation!**

"And well, after I failed to kill the Muggle family, Voldemort planned to have me killed. Luckily for my life, my father convinced the Dark Lord that he was capable of punishing me. And so, he sent me out of his life," Draco continued with a pained expression on his face.

Hermione sat across the couch from him, arms wrapped around her knees, a saddened expression on her face.

Draco, it seemed, was not the arrogant, evil git she had always thought him to be. All his life, his father had threatened to disown him should he ever go against Lucius' training and beliefs.

"And so," he said, "I had nowhere to go. Dumbledore took me in, and told me that I hadn't done wrong. That my own decision to leave that world behind was a fair one. And I suppose that is the case."

"So, do you not believe in it then?" Hermione asked

"Believe in what?"

"All those things you said, all the insults you've tossed my way?" she pressed.

"I don't know…well. No. That's not what I mean. I learned that all those things were true, but to be honest, I've never really seen the point. I don't know. It's all very confusing. I mean, if all those things had been true, the I, a pureblood, should best you in marks, and yet I always struggle to come close to you in ranking."

"Well, if you must know, I struggle to stay ahead," Hermione replied with a small smile.

Draco returned her smile shyly, and then picked up his tale; "Anyways, Dumbledore says that if I'm to be of any help in the War, I need to take up with you and…Potter…And Weasley…" he finished rather miserably.

Hermione looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Look Granger, I'm asking for your help. Would you…please…help me to make things right?"

Hermione pursed her lips at him, and for a moment Draco thought she was about to laugh, so walk away.

"First of all, we all have first names. I expect that you will address us by them, and we will do the same for you. Second, I will speak with Dumbledore in the morning. I trust his word and judgment above anything else, and if he agrees that helping you is the best path to take for the sake of winning this War, then I will help you." She finally said.

"Thank you Hermione. I know that this all came very quickly at you, and that is must be hard to digest. It's…it's hard for me to believe, and I've lived through it all." Draco said earnestly.

Hermione simply smiled in reply and walked towards the stairs. Halfway up, she turned.

"Draco?"

He turned his head to her from where he had remained on the couch.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight…Hermione" Draco said softly, watching her enter her room and firmly shut the door.

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Hermione left Dmbledore's office in a bit of a daze. Draco's story, it seemed, checked out.

Dumbledore had peered anxiously at her from over his half moon glasses and requested that she, as Head Girl, and most reasonable of the Trio, take responsibility in helping Draco, Harry, and Ron make amends.

As she entered the Great Hall, she immediately heard the rare but raucous laughter of Harry Potter from the Gryffindor House Table.

She walked over with a spring in her step, only to stop, stare, and then laugh aloud at the sight of Ron attempting to fit an entire ladle of porridge in his mouth.

His eyes bulged out, and his ears were red with exertion. She was surprised his jaw hadn't come unhinged.

Shaking her head, she flicked her wand in his direction, and shrunk the ladle to a manageable size.

Ron nodded to her in appreciation as he swallowed the spoonful of porridge.

"Really Ron, what possessed you to try and fit the ladle in your mouth?" Hermione said in an amused voice.

"Couldn't find a spoon, of course."

Hermione turned to Harry, who had busied himself in counting the number of raisins in his bowl.

"Harry Potter…" She reprimanded.

Sheepishly, Harry pulled a spoon out of his robes.

When Hermione continued to stare, he brought out two more handfuls.

Shaking her head at the two boys, Hermione said briskly, "Well, when you two are finished with your antics, I have some important news for you both."

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Harry and Ron looked at Hermione as if she has finally lost her marbles from one too many evenings in the company of Madame Pince.

"Hermione, have you gone mad?" Harry finally managed.

"No Harry! Goodness, I'm being completely serious. If you don't believe me, then you can just ask Dumbledore. Although I would HOPE that you two would choose to believe me, your best friend." She retorted peevishly.

"Well, I dunno, Hermione…it's just difficult to take in…it is Malfoy, you know." Ron said dubiously.

"Ron, it's Draco, please. I've told him that he must use your proper name, and that you will do the same in return, thank you." Hermione quipped bossily.

"Fine. Draco then."

"Harry, Ron, if you still don't believe me that he has changed, then come speak to him yourselves. I promise that he won't hex you. Although I may if you don't stop behaving like children."

A little reluctantly, the two boys trailed after Hermione. She stopped in front of a portrait of a young man boating on a lake, and said "Phoenix feather."

The portrait swung open, and Ron gulped audibly. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked into the Common Room.

Draco was seated at the far table, buried in his Runes text, and Hermione had to say his name several times before looked up.

A look of panic crossed his face briefly when he noticed Harry and Ron standing at the portrait hole.

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**Hmm...what shall happen next? Review, and maybe you will find out faster!**


	4. Insomnia

**Ch.4: Insomnia**

Harry, Ron, and Draco stood awkwardly near the table.

Ron shuffled his feet, intently examining his shoelaces.

Harry cleared his throat before turning to look desperately at Hermione.

Draco stood up straighter raising his eyebrows.

"Nice…weather we're having!" Ron exclaimed triumphantly.

Harry and Draco nodded enthusiastically, murmuring their agreement.

"Oh honestly!" Hermione exclaimed, rolling her eyes, "You lot are complete dunderheads. It's raining out! Now, if you please, let's all take a seat, thank you!"

The boys blinked in surprise as Hermione flicked her wand and muttered under her breath. Four comfortable chairs had appeared scattered around where Draco's homework once lay.

"HEY! You changed my homework into CHAIRS?" Draco exclaimed at the same time as Ron said,

"Blimey, how'd you do that Hermione?!"

"Yes, yes I did, your assignment will be fine Draco. And Ron, seriously, we learned that spell in Transfiguration AGES ago. _Accio_ Chairs!"

Hermione sat primly in a purple armchair and looked at the boys expectantly.

They sat down, and continued to stare awkwardly at the clock, bookcases, the fireplace, anywhere but the other boys.

"Now." Said Hermione, "Would someone care the explain to me those Quidditch moves that Harry was blathering about earlier today?"

She rolled her eyes as the three boys sprung into animated chatter. _Seriously_, she thought, _what is so hard about talking to a person decently_.

One only had to come up with a proper topic of conversation.

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"Are you a complete IDIOT Ron? The Chudley Cannons couldn't hold their own against Puddlemere United!!" Draco roared.

Harry stiffened at the expression of outrage on Ron's face. Ron reddened, and then slowly grinned.

"Well, Draco, I suppose you have a point, but they beat out Bulgaria by a long shot."

Draco looked thoughtful before conceding, "Well, I supposed without Krum, the team would be rather useless."

Harry looked over at Hermione, who had pulled out a book about five minutes into the conversation. An hour later, she had slumped over in the chair; book in lap, breathing quietly.

"Looks as though someone has had a long day" Harry announced.

The other two looked over at Hermione, rather aghast that someone could fall asleep in the middle of a heated Quidditch debate.

"Well," Harry said, "I think we all best take a cue from Hermione, and get to bed. We've got Potions at 9 tomorrow."

He shook the sleeping girl awake gently, and she smiled at the boys.

"I see you all didn't kill each other." She murmured sleepily.

With that, she got up, closed her book, and staggered sleepily up the stairs, closing the door before flopping onto her bed.

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Hermione couldn't sleep.

_Blast!_ She thought to herself _this always happens when I take any kind of nap. It takes me HOURS to get back to sleep, if I do at all._

However, the day had been productive, and she had managed to get Ron, Harry, and Mal-Draco into the same room without serious consequences.

It made her smile to think of the cheerful banter that she had drifted off too several hours earlier.

The boys, it seemed, had more in common than she had thought.

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Next door, Draco was scowling at his ceiling.

He had spent an evening in the company of the very three people he never imagined himself being around.

Disturbingly, he had experienced what could only be titled as a decent-no, fun- evening.

It was one of the few times Draco actually felt content as he entered his room.

Usually, his evenings were spent studying at a wooden table in the Slytherin common room, ignoring the whispers of younger students who did not want to catch Draco in a foul mood.

Then, he would sit on a bench and listen to Crabbe and Goyle discuss how many sweets they had snitched from dinner.

Once the common room cleared out, Draco usually slept on a bench in the Common Room.

If Draco had the power to command respect and fear, his roommate Blaise had certainly claimed the good looks and charm, and while Crabbe and Goyle seemed oblivious to the noises of Blaise's romantic conquests, it made Draco simply ill.

And so, he would sleep for several hours in the cold common room, and be up studying before anyone realizes that he, Prince of Slytherin, did not sleep in his own bed.

But that had all changed. Now, as Head Boy, he had his own room. And, being disowned, he certainly was not looked up to as the Prince of Slytherin any longer.

Not that anyone looked down on him. While many of his housemates believed in the Dark Lord's power, Slytherins were smart. They knew that, faced with the task Draco had been put before, they would not have been able to follow through either.

Now, however, he was not sure what his housemates would think. He had spoken with the enemy and enjoyed it.

_Not the enemy_, he reminded himself. _We're on the same side now. _

It hadn't been easy, coming to terms with the fact that he, a Malfoy, no longer needed to believe all the things drilled into his mind from birth.

It had been difficult to go to Dumbledore and ask for guidance

And it was even harder to make amends with the three Gryffindors.

At least they had been civil, almost welcoming, to him. That had never really happened before, and Draco wondered what it must be like to be one of the Trio. They always seemed happy to be together, one of the reasons that their presence had always irked him so much.

And yet now that he had been in their company, it was easy to see that good cheer was second nature to the lot of them.

_I will become part of that group_, he said firmly to himself. _I need to in order to survive this war._

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Harry and Ron looked at each other in disbelief as they slipped under the covers. The other boys around them were already snoring, and so the two whispered.

"Harry, did that really just happen?"

"What, mate?"

"You know." Ron said, raising his eyebrows

"Oh yeah, you mean the bit where Malfoy just had a civil conversation with us?" Harry grinned.

"It's Draco, seriously Harry!" Ron said, in perfect imitation of Hermione's "frustrated" expression.

The two boys laughed softly.

"But really Ron, I did have a good time tonight." Harry said.

"Yeah, me too mate. It's just odd to think of."

The two were silent for a moment.

"Hey Harry?"

"Yeah Ron?"

"Do you think that Mal-I mean Draco is really going to help us?"

"Well, Dumbledore seems to believe him."

"Dumbledore trusts Snape." Ron returned.

"But Hermione seems to think he's alright too. She's a good judge of these things, and after all, she is the one who heard his full story. I think we ought to give him a second chance." Harry replied after a pause.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Well, sleep well Harry."

"Night, Ron."

The two turned away from each other, and moments later, Harry heard Ron's snore.

His fingers lightly touched the scar on his forehead, but there was no pain. He knew, deep down, that he would learn to trust Draco, but he was not sure what help Voldemort's former supporter would really bring to the War.

Then again, Malfoy was very smart, and the Order could use all the help it could muster.

With that though, Harry closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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**Thanks for the reviews, hope you enjoy this next bit!  
**

**If you have and comments or questions about the story, just let me know!  
Elizabeth**


	5. Night Owl

**Ch.5: Night Owl**

Two weeks had passed peacefully at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Not that they had gone without incident. The Slytherins, noticing Draco had begun to hang around the Gryffindors more and more, had all but excommunicated him from the house.

Not that Draco found that to be a particular loss at this point.

For the first time in his life, he experienced true friendship.

This was different than the friendships he had held in the past. Rather than being a _quid pro quo_ business relationship, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were friends with him because they enjoyed being around him.

And even more surprising, he enjoyed being around them.

He watched the three laughing across the hall from where they sat at the Gryffindor Table; and wished, not for the first time, that he could be sitting with them, rather than at the end of the Slytherin table, three seats between himself and his housemates.

As if she had read his mind, Hermione glanced over to him and smiled. Harry and Ron looked over as well, and waved to him.

Ignoring the venomous stares of his housemates, he raised his hand in acknowledgment of their greeting.

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That evening, the four had taken over the Head Common Room.

Hermione had her Transfiguration and Charms homework all over one of the large tables, immersed in her Studies, while the boys sprawled on the carpet, immersed in a game of Exploding Snap.

Ron sat up and made a face.

"Oy, Harry, I'm awfully hungry. What do you say, we head down to the kitchen and grab some grub?"

Harry smiled, shaking his head at Ron.

"I swear, mate, you've got to have more than one stomach in your body. We just ate dinner an hour ago."

"Please?" Ron pleaded.

Conceding, Harry stood up and dusted off his trousers. The two boys raced each other out of the portrait hole.

Hermione glanced up from her 18 inches on transfiguring fruit to china, and saw Draco staring into the flames.

By this time of the evening, his meticulously groomed hair fell messily about his face, a result of his running his hands through it as Harry and Ron took him at Exploding Snap.

He had a tired, pinched look about the bridge of his nose, but his forehead and slim frame were relaxed as he lay on the carpet.

_Tap. Tap Tap Tap. _

Startled, Hermione looked away from Draco to the large tawny owl that crashing its head against the window. She got up, and let the owl in, untying the parchment from its leg. The owl bit her hand softly, and she fed it before letting it out into the night.

"Draco?"

He turned away from the fire. "Yeah Hermione?"

"It's addressed to you. This letter I mean." She said, handing it to him.

He took it from her, and sat back down on the floor, leaning against the couch.

After several minutes, Draco placed his head on his knees and the letter fluttered to the floor.

Hermione rushed over to him.

"Draco, what is it? What does it say?"

Draco motioned to the letter on the floor, not lifting his head.

She picked it up gingerly and read:

_Dear Mr. Malfoy-_

_It is with deepest sorrow that I write informing you of your mother's passing._

_While the cause of her death is unknown at the time, she was found dead in your father's study._

_Under his orders, she has immediately buried in the family plot._

_Against Mr. Malfoy, Senior's wishes, your mother left you her vault in Gringotts. The key is enclosed. Do as you see fit with the contents._

_Sincerely, _

Albus Dumbledore 

Hermione picked the small key off the ground from where it had fallen. Fingering it gently, she made out the letters NM engraved on the top of the key.

A sniff from the boy next to her reminded her of the letter's contents, and tears filled her eyes.

"Draco, I'm so sorry." She said dumbly.

Watching her new friend slump even farther down, Hermione reached over to him and tentatively rubbed his back. Malfoy sniffed again, and she moved closer to him, putting her arms around him, and allowing several tears to fall.

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Harry and Ron burst through the portrait hole arms full of pastries and flasks of pumpkin juice.

They stopped short at the sight that greeted them.

Hermione was sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around a slumped over Malfoy.

She looked up at them tearfully, and motioned to the letter that lay on the floor.

The two read it, Ron going white.

Harry was the first to speak.

"Draco, mate…I'm….I don't know what to say…" He started, his voice choking up, as he remembered his own pain after Sirius' death.

Draco looked up at him blankly.

"Do you have any idea how this happened?" Harry continued softly.

"Harry! Really, this is not the time!" Hermione implored him.

But Draco stood up.

"It was my father." He said softly.

"He could break my will, but my mother…she always resisted him. She…she always tried to teach me what was right. And now she's gone, and I know it was my father who did this. And I will get him for it." He finished in a steely voice.

Hermione stood next to him, holding out the key to his mother's vault.

Draco took it from her, and then turned and walked up the stairs into his own room.

Ron had regained his color.

"Blimey. I feel awful." He whispered shakily.

The three stared at each other miserably, wishing they could do something to comfort their new friend.

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Draco lay on his bed, allowing the tears to flow freely now.

His mother was gone.

His mother was the only person who had ever told him she loved him.

His mother had always been kind and gentle with him, despite his haughty additude towards her should she ever try to tell him that his father was not always right.

He held the key to her vault tightly in his hand, feeling the cool metal imprint itself in his palm.

Draco silently promised his mother, as well as himself, that he would avenge her death, even if it meant his own.

He strode out onto the landing, noting that his friends had gone, and into the bathroom, where he stood under the shower for a long time.

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Hermione sat on the couch, eyes red and cheeks stained with tears.

She listened to the water falling in the bathroom, and the sound of it soothed her.

When she had returned for walking Harry and Ron back to Gryffindor Tower, she heard the shower running, and had sat on the couch.

She wanted to speak to Draco, but was not sure what she would say, or if he even wished to talk to her.

The sound of the water stopped, and the pop and crackle of the fire were the only noises in the Head's Quarters.

She heard the bathroom door open, then close.

She did not look up from the rug until she felt someone standing beside her.

Draco's eyes held a sadness that squeezed at the pain in her own heart.

"Thank you, Hermione." He said gruffly to her.

She held out her arms to him, and he sat beside her, welcoming her comforting embrace.

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Only glowing embers remained of the once crackling fire, and the Head Boy and Girl remained on the couch.

Hermione's head rested on the crook of the arm and back of the sofa, her eyes closed and breathing even. Her right hand rested on top of the blonde head in her lap, where she had stroked his head until he had fallen asleep.

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**I've been able to get quite a few chapters up lately, since I'm on break! Let me know how you like the story, and earn my eternal gratitude!**


	6. The Brightest Witch of her Age

**Ch.6: The Brightest Witch of her Age**

Hermione woke slowly, first noticing the terrible pain in her neck. The pale light of predawn filtered into the room from the eastward window. She then looked down to see the blonde head in her lap, and the events of the previous night came flooding back to her.

Tears filled her eyes, and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying. Draco looked peaceful in his sleep, and she didn't want to disturb him.

Carefully, she lifted his head, and scooted off the couch, holding her breath as he stirred briefly when she placed his head back on the couch. He stilled after a moment, and Hermione exhaled quietly, relieved.

She opened the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and placed it over Draco's body, looking down at him. Smoothing back a lock of hair that had fallen in his face, she smiled sadly at her friend, before retreating to her own room.

**88888888888888**

Lying in her own bed, Hermione let the tears that had been building up spill down her cheeks. She could not imagine what it would be like to receive a letter like Draco had opened last night. She could not imagine what it would be to lose her mother.

Her mother. Hermione smiled, thinking of her mother's cheerful face, eyes sparkling behind her glasses.

Coming home from work, Mona Granger would push aside her weariness, greeting her daughter warmly. Together, they would try to pull together a quick dinner before Owen Granger walked in the door.

Usually, the two would muss up even the simplest curry, and Mona would run out to Marks and Spencer to pick up sandwiches, or chicken provencale, as well as one of the berry smoothies Hermione loved so well.

The light slowly changed as Hermione thought of her mother, and soon her alarm clock quipped "8:30! Rise and Shine! 8:30! Rise and Shine!"

Hermione flicked her wand at the clock, silencing it.

She walked to the bathroom, noting that Draco still lay asleep on the couch.

Inside, she slashed some water on her face, ignoring her reflection, knowing her eyes would be red and puffy, her complexion blotchy.

_A shower will do me well_, Hermione thought as she stepped under the warm spray.

**88888888888888**

Draco was confused. He woke in the now cold common room, on the couch.

Morning light poured through the window, making his eyes hurt, and he squinted, wondering how he had gotten there.

As he sat up, he felt a hard object clenched in his hand, and he opened it, revealing the key he had been holding tightly through the night.

His mother,

Realization flooded through him, and his shoulders crumpled with grief. His mother was gone.

And then he remembered falling asleep to the comforting feel of Hermione's hand running through his hair.

_Where did she go?_ He thought to himself.

As is he had conjured her image, she climbed through the portrait hole, carrying a piece of toast on a plate, a flagon of juice.

"Oh good, you're awake." She said warmly. "I thought you might like some breakfast."

He reached for the plate she offered, realizing that he was indeed very hungry. She sat next to him, and handed him a container of pumpkin butter, which he slathered onto his toast.

He ate silently, concentrating on the piece of toast, and Hermione sat beside him, clearly a little uncomfortable.

When he finished the toast and juice, he turned to look at her. Her eyes were red, but her expression was composed.

"Draco-" She began softly.

"Don't," he cut her off. "I'll be fine."

"Sorry." She said in a small voice, and he realized he had hurt her feelings.

"It's okay…Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For everything."

She smiled at him, and laid a hand on his shoulder fondly.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"You know, actually there is. Hermione…can we act as if nothing went wrong? Harry and Ron too…I can't deal with pitying looks or people avoiding me as though I were a fragile doll. I just…I need my…friends." He finished, saying the last word uncertainly.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically, her wild curls bouncing.

"Draco, of course. We'll do whatever you need us to!" She said. "After all, that's what friends are for."

Surprisingly comforted and cheered by this confirmation of their friendship, Draco smiled down into his pumpkin juice.

"Well, I must be off. I have 6 more inches of Ancient Runes to finish, and I'm supposed to meet Harry and Ron for tea with Hagrid. You're welcome to come, but I don't think the two of you get along so well…" she trailed off.

Draco smiled at her genuinely, and said, "You're probably right. I'll stay here and finish my work for the weekend. Do you guys want to do something this evening?"

"I'll check with Harry and Ron, but I think that sounds wonderful. See you!"

The portrait door swung shut behind Hermione and Draco settled onto the couch.

Being around her, he didn't think so much about the pain in his heart. Now, sitting by himself in the Heads Common, he fingered Narcissa's key and almost wished he'd gone to Hagrid's with his friends.

Friends.

For the first time in his life, Draco had people to truly call his friends. He smiled to himself, feeling rather silly, and got up, placing the key gently down on the table. His mother would have been proud of the steps he had made since coming to school. She would have been proud of the person he was becoming.

He could almost feel her cool hand on his face as her brilliant blue eyes stared down into his own. Whenever she was proud of him, her lips would form a slight smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners, the right eye more so than the left. In his mind's eyes, Draco could see her face, and knew that he had made the right choice in his life.

He walked over to the table he had claimed as his own, books spilled messily across it.

Hermione's table, by contrast, was surprisingly neat. Her books were stacked in an ordered pile, and her papers, while spread across the table, were stacked neatly.

His own disordered books, however, looked inviting to him, and he pulled out his Advanced Potions text.

**888888888888888**

The light from the window stretched lazily across the carpet, the golden glow of an autumn sun climbing westward.

Draco had light a candle in order to better read his textbook and was taking careful notes on the side effects of _Euphoria_ when the portrait hole banged open and Ron scrambled through, Harry in hot pursuit.

A wrestling match ensued on the floor of the room, while Hermione stepped through portrait hole primly.

"Now really, you two. Grow up a little. I mean, really, it's no way for two young men to behave," she said, removing her scarf.

The two rolled away from each other reluctantly, and Ron rubbed at his shoulder.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm your nanny, rather than your friend," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, a regular Mary Poppins you are," Harry said sarcastically.

Ron laughed; the story of the peculiar witch interacting with Muggles had always been a favorite in his household.

"Mary Poppins?" Draco inquired from the corner, confused.

"Well yes, it's a popular children's story for both Muggle and magical children. Written by a witch, I believe." Hermione explained, looking at Draco peculiarly.

"Never heard of it," he said with a scoff.

"Never heard of it?" Ron said incredulously.

"Well, I AM a Malfoy after all, you don't expect my father would have let me read anything having to do with Muggles…or Muggle relations…" Draco said, a little softly.

Hermione, sensing that Draco did not wish to talk or think of his family, smiled and interjected smoothly.

"Why, I have a wonderful idea of what we can do this evening!"

"What's that Hermione?" Harry asked, amused by the glowing expression on Hermione's face.

"Mary Poppins was not only a book, but a Muggle movie! We can watch it this evening!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"But…Hermione…it's a Muggle film. How do you expect us to watch it here?" Ron reminded her.

"Don't worry, I'll manage it. You all go to dinner, and when you return, everything will be set."

Hermione strode out of the portrait hole, and looking at each other with a shrug, the three boys walked down to the Great Hall.

**8888888888888**

When Harry, Ron, and Draco returned that evening, a rather outstanding sight greeted them.

The wall that housed the fireplace was hidden behind a large projection screen. Four comfortable chairs had been pushed in front of the screen, two on the right of what appeared to be a large projection machine, two on the left.

Bottles of Butterbeer, bins of popcorn, packages of Chocolate Cauldrons and Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour beans lined Hermione's table, which had been cleared of books and placed near the seats.

The projection machine was old and rather dusty. A canister of film had been loaded onto it, and there, standing beside it was Hermione, smiling proudly.

"Hermione, how did you do all this?" Harry asked as Ron and Draco gaped at the set up.

"Why, it's all quite simple, really," she smiled. "The chairs and screen of course, were no work at all. I borrowed the projection machine from Professor McGonagall, she has it to show bits of film on proper wand handling technique in Remedial Transfiguration."

"Then," she continued, "I asked Dobby if he would supply us with food and drink- don't worry, I paid him for helping me out!- and all that was left was to get the film."

"I did, of course, had the book in my trunk. It's one of my favorites. Except, of course, the muggle film is much different from the book, and there is the trouble of it being a musical. Then I remembered that the _Cinevite_ charm allows you to rearrange the contents of a book into a film. I read about it in one of the books here in the Head Library. So, I concentrated very hard on my memories of the musical while performing the charm, and luckily for me, it came out right."

Draco shook his head in amazement at Hermione. "They don't call you the brightest witch of our year for nothing Hermione…Bloody hell, that is one impressive bit of magic."

Ron and Harry, used to (and not particularly interested in) Hermione's long-winded explanations of the various curious spells and charms she learned, had sat down side by side, and had helped themselves to the sweets.

"'Arry ook oi an it our ooghs enmy ouff" Ron said, around the four frogs he had crammed into his mouth.

Hermione sighed, gestured for Draco to take a seat, and opened the side door of the projection machine.

"_Incendio_!" Hermione said, lighting the candle in the door, and the light flickered on. She tapped the top of the machine with her wand twice, and the film began to roll.

**88888888888**

Draco looked at the blank screen as the last chorus of "Let's Go Fly an Kite!" faded from his hearing.

Harry and Ron had fallen asleep half an hour ago, but Draco had been transfixed by the movie, the cheerful singing and dancing.

He noticed Hermione watching him out of the corner of his eye, and turned to her.

"That was…that was fantastic." He said happily.

She smiled, nodding.

"What was your favorite bit?" she asked

"I really enjoyed the part where they jumped on to the Portkey and went to the countryside. I wish I could do that sometimes, just get away." Draco said.

"That's my favorte bit as well. I love the tap dancing penguins. And Mary's outfit." She said, blushing a little as she though of how lovely the dress was, and how she wished she were as pretty as Julie Andrews.

"Well, we better wake up those two," she said briskly after a pause.

They woke up Ron and Harry, who stumbled off to Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione sat down on the chair with a thud.

"I'm absolutely exhausted. I think I'll clean this al in the morning," she said, surveying the empty food wrappings and cinema set up.

"Oh don't worry about it," Draco said lightly, " I'll pick it up, you go on to bed."

Hermione looked at him in surprise. Had Draco Malfoy, spoiled brat, just offered to clean up the mess they had all made of the common room?

"Go on," he said, "it won't take me long at all."

Smiling gratefully at him, Hermione hurried up the stairs, stopping when Draco called her name.

"Yes?" she answered

"You know…you really are a lot like Mary Poppins, Hermione." he said simply.

She ducked her head, smiling to herself, and hurried into her bedroom.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to update…it's been rather busy around here what with the holiday and all. I sliced my finger open cooking, so the typing has been a bit slow. Also, I've been putting in some research on various spells, charms, plot lines, etc, to make the rest of this story go more smoothly. This was a longer chapter to make up for the wait, I hope you all enjoyed it! Happy Christmas!**

**Damsel of Distress**: I'm glad you like the story so far, I've had fun writing it! In answer to your question, I made Draco suffer because something has to explain his change. I know he is out of character, and I felt there should be a reason behind it. I don't like seeing him hurt either, though!

**Rebellion Author**: I'm glad you approve of the story so far, I want to make this as plausible a story as possible…Also, I agree with you, the extreme love/hate relationships can get tedious rather quickly.

**WritersBlock17**, **Insignificant-Raindrop**, and **Mrs. St. John Allerdyce**: Thanks for the encouragement! I hope you liked this next bit!

**As always, review, review, review! I love to hear what you think!**

**As always, I do not own Harry Potter, only the storyline of this particular piece.**

**Elizabeth**


	7. Horcruxes

**A/N: PLEASE READ BEFORE READING THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER!! **

**SPOILERS:** This chapter, along with the rest of the story will deal with material from HBP.

**ON CONNECTIONS TO HBP:** Although the summary of this story says that it is "preHBP," that is not meant to say that HArry's 6th year never happened. This story will deal with the events of the 6th book, although any involvement on the part of Draco Malfoy has been removed. That is, an Unbreakable Vow was never made Draco was never meant to kill Dumbledore, Dumbledore never died, etc. However, Harry and Dumbledore's work did occur, and will be discussed in this chapter in some great detail.

**Enjoy!**

**Ch.6: Horcruxes**

It was the week before Halloween, and Draco and Hermione had been hurriedly organizing the Halloween Feast.

They had decided to follow the traditional menu, and only the decorations had yet to be decided.

"What do you think of the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione asked, twirling a curl of hair around her finger.

Draco shuddered, "I never want to be there alone at night!"

"No silly, I mean as the decoration theme for the feast!" Hermione laughed

"Oh. Oh, Right. I think that sounds good. Yeah, we can ask Dumbledore to make the walls and ceiling look like the forest…and maybe we could have some large spiders. Just for Ron." Draco smirked.

Hermione giggled and shook her head, glad that everything had been settled.

**88888888888**

"We've done it!" Harry announced excitedly.

"Done it?" Hermione asked, confused.

Harry had just entered the portrait hole with a loud whoop. Ron, Draco, and Hermione had been sitting on the carpet, quizzing each other on the properties of Polyjuice Potion.

"We found Helga Hufflepuff's cup!" Harry exclaimed triumphantly.

Ron and Hermione grinned widely, while Draco simply looked confused. Realizing this, Hermione looked at Harry with a concerned expression.

"Harry, ought we to discuss this here?" She asked quietly.

"Don't worry, Dumbledore said it was fine to allow Draco in on this. He thinks he may be able to help us."

Harry sat down next to Draco and began to tell him just what exactly he did on Monday evenings with Dumbledore.

**888888888888**

"So you mean to say that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named split his soul into seven pieces?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and between Dumbledore and myself, we've managed to track down and destroy three of the Horcruxes. The first was Tom Riddle's diary. I destroyed it, not knowing what it was, down in the chamber of secrets. Then, Dumbledore destroyed the Horcrux that was contained in Marvolo's ring. Finally, tonight, we found and destroyed the one contained in Hufflepuff's cup." Harry said.

"How did you do it, Harry?" Hermione asked softly.

"Well, we've been trying to piece together where he might have placed the cup. The diary, he wanted planted in the school, an important place to him. The ring was located in the ruins of Marvolo's home. The locket, had it been there when we arrived, had been located in the cliffs where he had terrorized the orphans."

"There is a pattern to Voldemort's work. All the Horcruxes are objects of symbolic importance to him. All the places where he has hidden them are places of importance in his development as a wizard. Now, Voldemort had obtained both the locket and the cup from the home of the old witch while he was working for Borgin and Burkes. We figured he wouldn't have placed the cup in her old home, as he had put the locket in the cliffs."

"After closer examination of the memories we had complied of Voldemort, we realized that Voldemort had done a very stupid thing. The teacher who had taught him about Horcruxes would have indeed been very special to him. Voldemort had once visited the castle, asking Dumbledore for a job. He knew that he would not get it, and yet he still came. Previously, we had thought that he wished to procure one of Gryffindor's relics to turn into a Horcrux, but then we realized that the teacher who had taught him so much still resided in the castle. A teacher who was fond of nice things."

"Horace Slughorn," Hermione breathed softly.

"Exactly. Voldemort had made the Horcrux, and then disguised it. On discussion with Professor Slughorn, our suspicions were confirmed. That night, Voldemort had visited him, and presented him with a golden bowl filled with crystallized pineapple."

"Slughorn left the school shortly after than, and Voldemort was sure that his Horcrux would be safe. Unfortunately for him, Slughorn has returned to Hogwarts, bringing the Horcrux directly to Dumbledore and I. He was only too happy to turn it over once he learned what it was. The charm disguising the bowl was a quite difficult to break, but there were no other guards on it at all. Its seems rather odd, compared to the magic surrounding the locket, but then, the diary itself was rather easy to destroy as well."

Ron shook his head in disbelief.

"Blimey, mate! That is quite some bit of brainwork there."

Draco looked at Harry with some amount of worry.

"But you've only described three Horcruxes. What about the rest?"

"Well," Harry began, looking troubled, but Hermione cut him off.

"I can explain this part Harry," She said kindly. Harry nodded to her, and she face Draco.

"You see, Harry and Dumbledore have only a bit of guesswork left. Three of the Horcruxes have been located and destroyed. What remains are four objects. We assume that Voldemort was unable to procure one of Gryffindor's relics, as the only surviving ones are the sword and Sorting Hat."

"However, we have yet to investigate and relics of Rowena Ravenclaw. It is possible that Voldemort procured such an item. We believe his snake, Nagini, to be a Horcrux, and of course, one seventh of his soul remains in his own body. The final Horcrux, the locket, is perhaps our biggest mystery and worry."

"Why is that?" Draco asked.

"Well, you see, Harry and Dumbledore found the locket at great risk to themselves, only to discover on returning to the castle that it was not Slytherin's locket. Someone, with the initials of R.A.B. had taken the locket. We don't know who it is, but he expected to be killed. The problem is, we have no idea if he succeeded in destroying the Horcrux or not."

"R.A.B.?" Draco mused. The initials struck him as familiar. And then, he remembered.

"R.A.B!" He said excitedly. "I know who that is!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at him, wide eyed.

"Regulus Black. My cousin. I remember it. One night, when I was about four or five, my father left the dinner table abruptly. He had been called by The Da-Voldemort." Draco began.

"Go on, Draco," Hermione encouraged softly.

"Well, when he returned, I could hear him raging to my mother down the hall. I was supposed to be in bed, but the yelling was so loud, that I couldn't help but hear. Years before, my father had been ordered to kill my mother's cousin for his betrayal of Voldemort."

"He was ordered to torture Regulus first, before finishing him. However, Regulus was not a strong man, and my father believed him dead by the time he had finished torturing him. He was wrong. Regulus was not a large man, but he was smart. He had taken a potion that would allow him to appear dead, only to wake several hours later."

"For the next several years, Regulus operated on his own, determined to help bring Voldemort down. Bellatrix Lestrange finally caught him. Voldemort summoned my father that night in rage, and had ordered him to _Avada_ Regulus. He then punished my father for the trouble he had caused. Each year, on the anniversary of that night, my father was to return to the Lestrange mansion and perform charms that would allow my aunt and uncle's home to remain unplottable to any Auror. While my father believed that Voldemort had disappeared, he knew that several Death Eaters still remained loyal. Death Eaters who were never sent to Azkaban. These men and women held him to his punishment each year, confident that Voldemort would return."

" As my father raged to my mother about all he risked each time he made this journey: imprisonment, the dementor's kiss, death; he also spoke of the man who had gotten him into this situation. My father, as well as being a coward, refuses to accept that he is ever in the wrong. He had then said something that I didn't understand, that Regulus had managed to steal a part of Voldemort's soul. Now it makes sense. My father said that the incident was insignificant, but that they could not find what Regulus had stolen."

Harry nodded. "Thank you Draco, for sharing that with us. It is of great help to us to know who it was that took the locket."

"Unfortunately, I can't help you to know where that locket has gone to, if it even exists anymore." Draco said wryly.

"Well, any help at all is a great step in the right direction. Thanks mate." Harry said gruffly.

Hermione and Ron smiled at each other. They themselves had come to terms with the fact that they were not of any particular help in finding and destroying the Horcruxes, and were glad that Draco could help.

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron for a moment, and then back to Draco.

"Draco…would you be willing to help us? With this whole mess, I mean. We really could use someone with your brains and skill." He asked.

"Harry, I thought you'd have known by now. I'm your friend. I'll do everything I can to help. I want to see Voldemort- and the Death Eaters- dead." He said with quiet determination.

The four looked around at each other, unknowingly mirroring the formation of the founders of Hogwarts, years ago. The four had sat on the grounds that would become Hogwarts, and made a vow always protect one another, and to brighten the minds of anyone with a thirst to learn.

Now, the four sitting on the floor made a silent promise to protect each other, and to bring down Lord Voldemort, no matter the cost.

* * *

**Review, Review, Review!!!**


	8. Tricks and Treats

**Ch. 7: Tricks and Treats**

It was Halloween night. Hermione was slumped, exhausted, in the chair beside her table. It had been a very long day. She had woken up early in order to review the instructions for decorating that she had carefully written out, as well as the menu, which she had then delivered to the house elves in the kitchen.

Then, as soon as her last class was over, she and Draco had rushed to the Great Hall to meet with Dumbledore. A particularly tiring hour later, the three of them had transformed the Great Hall into the Forbidden Forest.

She sighed, and pulled her hair off of her flushed face, tying it back. She almost did not want to go to the Halloween Feast. But she knew that it was her duty, and that she would be expected.

Draco climbed through the portrait hole, bone tired. He had just run down to the kitchen to ensure that the food preparations for the feast were going smoothly. He had offered to do this, knowing that Hermione must have woken at an ungodly hour to edit and deliver the menu. She looked exhausted in the Great Hall, and he knew she wouldn't make it through the evening without some rest.

His eye fell on the very girl he was thinking of.

She was staring blankly at the wall of books in front of her, and Draco stopped for a moment to admire the soft line of her jawbone, normally hidden under her intensely curly hair. Her pretty brown eyes looked vacant, and a half smile played on her lips.

_Wait._ Draco thought confusedly. _Since when is Hermione pretty?_

He looked at her more closely; she still seemed unaware of his presence.

He smiled to himself, realizing that her lack of care for her appearance had led him to believe Hermione to be a rather awkward young woman, when in fact her features were quite pleasant.

He walked over to his friend, standing behind her.

"Boo!" He said softly.

Hermione jumped, then turned to him, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Draco Malfoy! How dare you! You nearly scared the breath out of me!" She chided.

He laughed at her outburst, and a moment later she joined in.

"I've been standing her for several minutes, waiting for you to notice my godly presence" he joked.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, and then turned away, looking at the clock.

"Goodness! There's only a quarter hour left before the feast. I should wash up!" She exclaimed.

Draco watched her run to the bathroom, and a plan began to formulate in his head.

**8888888888888**

"Say, Hermione…I've got a question," Draco asked, as she emerged from the bathroom five minutes later, face freshly washed.

She looked at him expectantly.

"Well…I've noticed that you mostly just hang around with Harry, Ron and me…and I was just wondering who your female friends were." He finished lamely. _Damn. That came out all wrong._

Hermione did not seem to take offense to the question, however, and considered it carefully.

"Well, I've never been one to have a gaggle of girl friends…I don't know, it always seemed to me that girls were very petty and gossipy. I guess Ginny would be my closest female friend. We don't really hang out much during school, but in the summers we have quite a good time together at the Burrow," she said thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uh, just wondering was all," Draco said hurriedly. "Well, I really must get down to the feast. I'll see you there!"

Hermione watched as he rushed out of the portrait hole, his cheeks slightly flushed.

_Boys. _She thought._ I don't think I'll ever understand them._

**888888888888888**

_Ginny Weasley. Ginny Weasley. WHERE IS GINNY WEASLEY. _Draco thought with frustration as he looked around the entryway, which was crowded with students waiting to enter the Great Hall for dinner.

Finally, he spotted red hair. Long red hair. Walking past her, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her behind a suit of armor.

"Hey! What's the idea!" Ginny said in an annoyed voice.

"I need your help." He said in a low voice.

She spun around to face the boy who had grabbed her, expecting Harry or Ron, only to meet the intense stare of Draco Malfoy.

"Mal-Draco? What do you want?" She said suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes, "No need to act like I'm about to hex you. I just need your help with something.

"Okay, so tell me." She said, meeting his gaze evenly.

He faltered, turned red, and looking away, spluttered, "DidyouknowHermionewaspretty?"

Amused now, Ginny said "What was that? I couldn't quite make it out."

"Did. You. Know. Hermione. Was. Pretty." He hissed, even the tops of his ears turning red.

"Well, of course I did." She scoffed.

Then her eyes narrowed, as she asked, "What's it to you?"

"Well, I don't know. I just noticed it this evening, and thought that maybe she'd have more…self-confidence…or something…if she took some care with her appearance.

To his surprise, Ginny clapped her hands delightedly. "I've been telling Hermione that for years! That if she took some care, she'd turn heads!"

The doors to the Great Hall swung open, and Draco heard appreciative murmurs from the crowd of students.

Ginny stood of tiptoe and whispered to him, "Meet me by the fourth floor girl's restroom after the Feast. We have things to discuss."

She walked off towards the Hall, joined by several other sixth year girls.

Draco followed after a moment, seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing by the staircase.

"Where have you been, mate?" Harry said, "We've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, just had to stop in the bathroom," Draco said quickly, "Come on, let's go see how the feast turned out."

**88888888888888888888**

The Great Hall was magnificent. The walls had been charmed to resemble the tall trees of the forest, with several large trunks protruding from the ground between tables. The ceiling appeared cloudy, with a full moon shining through every now and again. Mist rose from the ground, which had been transformed into a spongy moss.

Large spider webs hung from trees, which Ron shuddered at the sight of, only to be reassured by Hermione that there were no spiders in this particular forest.

The large house tables had disappeared in favor of many smaller tables, the proper size for 5 or 6 witches and wizards to sit around. A torch set in the middle of the table illuminated the dining area.

A murky pond separated the Staff table from the rest of the Hall, and every once in a while a slimy tentacle slithered out of the water.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco claimed a table near the front of the Hall for themselves. Once everyone had been seated, Dumbledore rose.

"Welcome to the Halloween Feast. I know you are all anxious to eat, and so I will not bore you with a long speech. Rather, I have prepared a few short words: Higgle muffins and sprout tops. That is all."

As he sat, the torches at the center of the table rose into the air, and the first course appeared on the table.

**8888888888888888**

An hour later, as Ron picked at a pumpkin pasty, appetite finally satiated, Dumbledore stood, spreading his hands, and the doors of the Hall reopened.

Stuffed, sleepy students began to make their way back to their dormitories, Ron and Harry heading off to Gryffindor Tower.

Draco pulled Hermione's sleeve as she started up the stairs.

"I'll be up in a moment Hermione, I just want to, er, go make sure the house elves have got clean up under control."

Hermione beamed at his thoughtful behaviour towards the elves, and waved to him, continuing towards their dormitory.

**88888888888888**

Ginny grinned at Draco. They had become accomplices. Draco, having very little knowledge of female grooming habits was happy to have the help of the pretty sixth year, while Ginny was practically crowing with joy over the fact that she had an "inside agent."

"So you know what you have to do, correct?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'll have to owl for some of those uh, thingies, you were talking about though."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Leave that bit to me. Just meet me here around 5 tomorrow and I'll have everything we need."

* * *

**The next few chapters will be more like this one, not as serious as the previous chapter. I hope you all liked it! Please let me know what you guys are thinking!!**

**Kill-me-if-Harry-dies**: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this next bit. Also, I could not agree more with your username. J

**KtotheT**: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CATCHING THAT!! I went back and patched that part up a bunch. I can't believe I overlooked that while writing. I suppose that's what I get for writing late at night.

**Elizabeth**


	9. Operation Otter

**Ch.8: Operation Otter**

Draco opened the window, letting in a large owl straining under the weight of the package it carried.

The letter attached was addressed to "Mr. Draco Malfoy" in slanted letters, and Draco hurriedly untied the delivery from the owl's leg. The owl nipped his hand, and he tossed it a bit of the biscuit he had been eating, opening the envelope.

_Mr. Malfoy,_

_I have forwarded to you a record of the contents of your mother's safe at Gringotts. I ask that you peruse its contents and decide how best to deal with your inheritance in a timely fashion. It would not be wise to leave the contents of the safe under your mother's name for too much longer. Best of luck!_

Albus Dumbledore 

Draco unwrapped the parchment enclosing the heavy book and let it fall to the table in front of him with a thump.

The book was bound in black leather, with the initials NB embossed on the front in the same script as the key. He opened the book, and his mouth dropped open.

No wonder his father had not wished Draco to see this money. Clearly, at least half of the Malfoy fortune had come from Narcissa. Looking at the bottom of the row of figures, he saw that, on the event of Sirius Black's death, Narcissa had come into a tidy sum. As one of the remaining members of the Black family, part of the Black fortune would have gone to her on Sirius' passing.

Although this might have delighted Draco a year ago, now he was struck with sadness for Harry. He decided to have that money transferred to Harry, who he felt was more deserving of the Black inheritance than he was.

The next section contained a log of all the heirlooms that were housed in Narcissa's safe. Draco's eyes widened further at the list of expensive jewelry that took up several pages.

He shut the book after several more minutes, shocked.

All his life, his father had threatened to disown him and leave him penniless. Three months ago, it seemed his father had fulfilled what had often seemed and empty threat. But now, thanks to his mother's generosity, Draco was extremely wealthy.

He didn't know what on earth to do with this money. He couldn't possibly spend all this money in his own lifetime on himself, that much was certain. His eyes fell of the table where Hermione had left he Charms book open before running off to the library an hour ago. He smiled slowly, and then pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

It was a start, at least.

**88888888888888888888**

Ginny had squealed loudly as she read the note that now lay at the foot of her bed. She then proceeded to dive under her bed, and emerge several moments later, bits of dust in her hair.

Clutched in her hand was a copy of that fall's _Pandora Cosmetics_ catalogue. Her fingers trembled a little as she opened the glossy book.

_After all, who wouldn't be excited to know that they were 'welcome to spend as much as necessary in order to accomplish our goal'?_ She thought excitedly, remembering that the note had added that to order anything for herself, if she wished.

As Ginny flipped through the catalogue of the most exclusive line of magical cosmetics, she marked pages with a flick of her wand.

Ismene's Locks…Smoothing Soothing Crème…Phaedra's Sun: Skin Brilliance…Apple of the Eye colour…

Ginny smiled widely as she transferred her markings to the order form, gulping slightly at the total. _Well, he said to spend as much as needed. And Hermione does need it._

She added a small pot of "Pandora Box", the lip treatment that had made the company famous, for herself. Draco had said she was welcome to anything she wanted, but she felt guilty ordering anything to large or expensive.

Several minutes later, she watched the owl fly out of the owlry, hoping that the delivery was as speedy as promised beneath the photograph of the beautiful smiling witch on the back cover. She had told Draco to meet her at five. It was already three thirty. Realizing that this was not enough time, she wrote a hasty note to Draco, and sent it off with another of the tawny school owls.

**8888888888888888888**

At 7:15 that evening, Draco staggered into the common room, weighted down by the rather large, extremely heavy package Ginny had handed to him several minutes before.

He repeated the instructions she had given him for the evening. Operation Otter, she had called it. He had to admit that it was a clever name, taking Hermione's Patronus into account.

Having made it into his room, he dropped the package unceremoniously onto his bed and set about opening it.

His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the sheer number of items the package contained. Bottles, pots, and tubes of all sizes were crammed into the parcel, and he began to pull them out, hiding them in the wooden chest at the foot of his bed.

"Ismene's Locks" he muttered to himself, looking for the bottle Ginny had instructed him to disguise as a plain bottle of shampoo.

After several minutes of digging, he finally located two bottles of the stuff at the bottom of the trunk.

_Figures._ He thought, _I put the item I needed away first._

He sat down on the bed, and looked at the fancy label on the bottle.

Ismene's Locks: For hair as beautiful as a Grecian Princess

Enriched with herbal extracts for a heavenly scent, and deep conditioning potions to instantly revive dull hair…

_Now with Sleekeazy potion to tame unmanageable locks!_

The bottle proclaimed the last sentence in large golden letters.

Draco smiled, and then tapped the bottle with his wand. "

The bottle expanded slightly, settling on a plain brown plastic exterior with the words "Shampoo" printed in plain black lettering.

Just then, he heard Hermione dumping what sounded to be a ton of bricks on one of the tables outside. He smiled, knowing that she had finally returned from the library.

He strode casually out of his room, calling a greeting down to Hermione, who smiled up at him in return. He felt his insides go warm in the glow of her smile.

Draco shook his head. He was on a mission. This was not the time to have a pleasant chat with Hermione, no matter how nice it would make him feel.

"I'm off to have a shower," he announced before shutting the bathroom door behind him.

After a quick shower, Draco looked at the bottle of shampoo Hermione always left on the ledge in the shower.

He poured a bit of it into a small bottle Ginny had provided him with, which he concealed in his discarded robes, then preceded to pour the rest of the bottle down the drain. He then set the bottle, tipped over, on the floor of the shower.

Stepping back to admire his handiwork, Draco smirked to himself. _Perfect._

He slipped into his nightclothes, and exited the bathroom.

**8888888888888888**

Hermione looked up briefly from her Charms homework at the sound of Draco's voice.

"Hermione, I'm awfully sorry. I feel just terrible." Draco said sorrowfully.

"Sorry for what Draco?" She asked in a distracted voice.

"Well," he said, "while I was in the shower, I accidentally knocked over your bottle of shampoo. The top must have been loose, and all the shampoo came out."

"Really? That's odd. I thought I had been very careful to tighten the lid last shower. I had done the same thing the other day. It was my last bottle too." She said. "Well, never mind, it's not a big deal, I'll order more tomorrow."

"Oh no! Hermione, I feel so bad about spilling it. You have to let me replace it," He said earnestly. _Everything is going exactly according to plan_, he crowed inwardly.

"If you'd like," Hermione said, already buried in her homework once more.

"Alright!!" he said in an excited voice. "I mean…yeah cool. I might have something in my room you could use, actually."

Hermione looked at him strangely at his overly excited reaction, but shrugged it off as another of his "strange" moods.

Draco fairly danced upstairs and grabbed the bottle of Ismene's Locks. He sat on the bed fidgeting around. When enough time had passed to account for him looking around for a shampoo, he got up and walked to the bathroom again.

"I found some! I'll put it in the shower for you." He called to Hermione.

She nodded absently.

Draco smiled at her bookish ways, at the same time excited to see if this shampoo Ginny had purchased would actually do anything to tame Hermione's wild hair.

Realizing how foolishly he must be acting, Draco composed himself before walking down the stairs. He sat down at his own table, not particularly wishing to do homework. Instead, he doodled listlessly on a sheet of paper, watching the clock, as well as Hermione.

Finally, at 9:30, she shut her book.

"Well, I'm going to pop into the shower quickly before we have to do Rounds," she said to him.

Draco could barely contain his glee.

**8888888888888888888**

"It's just amazing, that stuff you gave me! My hair feels so…smooth! The last time it felt like this, I had slaved away at it for hours with Sleekeazy Potion!" Hermione continued to rave to him.

Draco had to look down to hide his smile.

Hermione's hair fell in soft, controlled waves to just past her shoulders. She had tucked it behind her ears, and he could see the soft line of her jaw that had originally inspired him to start Operation Otter.

Ginny would be so excited.

"You know," he offered, "You're welcome to keep the stuff. I can't use it in my hair, it's too fine for the stuff."

"Really?" she said happily. He nodded.

"Wow, thanks a lot, Draco!"

Just then, they heard a muffled giggle from behind a gargoyle. Hermione and Draco peered around it to see Ginny locked in a passionate embrace with a 6th year Ravenclaw.

Ever since Harry had left her the year before, Ginny flitted from boy to boy, refusing to settle down with anyone, in case Harry changed his mind. Still, she was a very pretty girl, and as she put it, 'There's no use joining a convent just to wait for Harry to come around.'

Hermione coughed loudly.

The two students sprung apart, the boy turning red in the face.

"Alright you two. That's quite enough. Ten points from each your houses," Draco said with a smirk.

Ginny looked at Draco with a "tell me!" expression on her face, then hung her head a little, and then said, "Sorry."

Hermione pursed her lips slightly.

"Hermione, why don't you walk the boy back to his dorm. I'll make sure Ms. Weasley gets back to Gryffindor Tower safely." Draco said, turning and walking away before she had a chance to respond.

Ginny trailed after him, catching up as she turned the corner.

"It certainly took you long enough to discover me. That Jason kisses like an overexcited puppy. I've been waiting to hear how Operation Otter went.

**888888888888888**

Ginny opened the bottle that Draco presented her with and sniffed at it.

"Just as I thought. This stuff doesn't to a thing for your hair. Its a wonder Hermione's hair hasn't fallen out, using this rubbish." She said with a laugh.

She and Draco had paused around the corner from the Fat Lady to catch up on the evening's events.

Draco smiled, remembering how Hermione's hair had fallen in soft waves that framed her face, and once again felt the odd warm feeling in his stomach.

The he noticed Ginny smirking at him.

"I think, Mr. Malfoy, that you are not tell me your true motives for this little transformation." She laughed.

"What?" He said in confusion, "I'm helping a friend out."

Ginny merely winked at him, before flouncing off around the corner.

_What in blazes was she hinting at?_ Draco thought with some irritation as he headed back to his dormitory.

* * *

**A/N: For those who aren't sure: Ismene is the beautiful sister of Antigone in the Oedipus plays. **

**Thanks for all the reviews, you guys! It really encourages me to keep writing, and make my updates timely. Hope that this last installment didn't seem too out of context. It does have a greater purpose in the story than the usual "make Hermione into a pretty girl so that Draco will fall in love with her." **

**x-Lazart-x** and **AerinAlanna**: I'm so glad you guys like the story! Hope to see you back here soon! J

**For everyone else, let me know what you think! Good, bad, in between? Let me know! Feel free to ask questions too, I'll answer them as best I can without giving too much away.**

**Elizabeth**


	10. Brands and Bouncing Bread Baskets

**Ch.10: Brands and Bouncing Bread Baskets**

The mid-November air had changed, quite suddenly, from crisp and cool to a snapping cold that threatened snow.

Hermione curled on the couch, wrapped tightly in a quilt, reading The History of Magic: Part 3. The four friends had been searching for any clues towards what the unidentified Horcrux could be, and Hermione was slowly working her way through the Head's "library" in hopes of finding a clue. She was in the middle of a particularly riveting chapter on the development of Wizarding Brands, and quite unaware of the fact that Draco's pen had stopped in its journey across his parchment.

Draco stared at her from the corner of his eye, admiring the effects of Operation Otter.

Hermione's hair, manageable under the influence of Ismene's locks, was braided loosely and fell forward over her right shoulder. In the past weeks, she had begun to experiment with different hairstyles, but as far as Draco and Ginny could tell, she only did this because it kept her hair from falling in her eyes as she read.

Hermione had unknowingly incorporated the Pandora line of beauty products into her daily regimen.

She washed her face morning and night with Phaedra's Sun: Skin Brilliance, believing it to be a hand-me-down from Ginny, who had tossed her a worn-looking tube marked "face wash" at breakfast one morning, claiming that it was too harsh on her complexion, but that it might work better on Hermione's more resilient skin.

Combined with the Smoothing Soothing Crème, which Hermione had unquestioningly accepted as a gift from Dobby (as the note attached read), Hermione's peaches and cream complexion was left glowing.

Draco had left a large pump of the Murtlap Essence Body Lotion on the bathroom counter, which he noticed Hermione had begun to use.

The only thing that Ginny and Draco could not suss was how to get Hermione to wear a bit of makeup without their entire scheme becoming obvious.

_Not_, Draco thought, _that Hermione needed any makeup_.

In spite (or perhaps because) of her lack of awareness that her outside appearance had become very beautiful, she seemed to radiate light to those around her.

More than the slow evolution of an awkward girl into an elegant young witch, Operation Otter had played an important role in Draco's own life.

His growing friendships with Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had cemented him as trustworthy among the Gryffindor set. He was most grateful to Ginny for this development.

Ron had sat next to him one day, saying that he overheard Ginny gossiping with the Gryffindor girls about how changed he was. Ron had smiled at him, warning him good-naturedly not to "get too cozy" with his sister. When he saw the horrified look on Draco face, her had laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, assuring him that he knew Draco's "priorities lay elsewhere."

This statement had confused Draco, and so he had put it from his mind.

A hand waving in front of his face startled him back into reality. Hermione giggled at his glassy expression, and he promptly stuck his tongue out at her.

She then seemed to remember why it was that she had interrupted him, and he expression changed from one of playful amusement to great urgency.

"Draco, we need to find Harry and Ron. I've just discovered something extremely important!"

"Right," Draco said in a brisk tone, standing. "I'll find Harry, you track down Ron, and we'll meet back here."

**88888888888888888888**

The four had gathered in their customary seats on the floor in front of the fire.

Harry was the first to speak.

"So, Draco said that you had found something important Hermione. Is it…?" He trailed off hopefully.

Hermione tossed Harry the copy of The History of Magic: Part Three that she had been clutching to her chest.

"Page 452, third paragraph" She said breathlessly.

Harry turned the pages of the think volume, squinted slightly to make out the small print, and read to himself. His eyes widened and he looked up at Hermione, letting out a low whistle.

"Well, what the bloody hell does it say already!" Ron yelled impatiently.

Hermione grabbed the book from Harry and read aloud in a determined voice.

"_Developed By Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw, Wizarding Brands are a permanent charm placed on the skin. The shape of the brand is burned first onto the flesh of the one who wishes to communicate with another wizard or wizards, and then onto the flesh of those with him he wishes to communicate. In pressing on the brand's mark three times in quick succession, the wizard is able to notify all others branded after him. The magic involved in creating such a brand is so advanced that few wizards would be capable of creating one…_

Draco's eyes widened, mirroring Harry's.

"The Dark Mark." He breathed, even now remembering the slight hiss of pain his father made when the Mark, branded to his wrist began to burn.

Hermione nodded.

"The Brand must be the Horcrux, Harry. If you read on, it says that Ravenclaw and Gryffindor only ever made one Brand, and that it was destroyed when they died. However, the magic used to create such a complex object would surely count as a relic of both Founders." She said.

"I need to talk to Dumbledore." Harry said, his voice slightly strained.

"I'll go with you." Draco stated, standing.

The two boys walked out of the portrait hole, leaving Ron and Hermione to their thoughts.

**8888888888888888888**

"Ah. Ms. Granger has certainly been astute in this matter. I do wonder how I overlooked it." Dumbledore said, fingers pressed together as if in prayer. He peered over his glasses at the students seated across from him and rose.

"It seems then, that our tasks have narrowed to two. First, we must locate the locket, or ascertain that it had been disposed of. Then, we must travel to Voldemort's stronghold. For I am certain that he will keep both the Brand and Nagini close by."

Harry and Draco exchanged grim looks.

Dumbledore, noticing this exchange, chuckled.

"I assure you that you needed worry about coming face to face with Voldemort for several months yet. I do, however, advise that you begin to prepare yourselves for this encounter. Therefore, you will both be taking lessons with me every Monday evening, rather than as sporadically as these rendezvous have been."

The boys exchanged looks again, although this time their expressions were much more cheerful.

"For now, I do suggest that you take time to enjoy your final year here at Hogwarts. The term is coming to a close, and I do believe that Ms, Granger and Mr.Weasley are joining you both in your stay over break. I do hope you will use the time together wisely, and create as much mischief as possible."

Smiling warmly, Dumbledore escorted the two boys to the door.

He sat down again, and sighed sadly. Fawkes tilted his head to look at the wise old man.

"I can only hope that young Misters Potter and Malfoy are able to fulfill these final tasks. I am getting to old to do these things anymore." He said to no one in particular.

He looked down at his shriveled had, and a single tear fell on the charred flesh.

**8888888888888888888888**

Having been told to make the most of their time together, the four decided to postpone their research and preparations and properly enjoy the holidays.

Draco, blatantly ignoring House protocol, now sat with the Gryffindors during meals, avoiding the glares of his "housemates."

While the glares and taunt were menacing, Draco did not feel particularly threatened by them. Draco was happy. He had friends who cared for him, and a purpose.

A loud snort of laughter from Ron lifted Draco from his thoughts. Ron's face was bright red, contrasting terribly with his orange hair. Harry was calmly examining his toast. Toast that was…_wait a moment_, Draco thought. _That toast is dancing!_

Joining Ron's laughter, Draco leaned in to examine the slices of bread that were currently line dancing around Harry's plate.

"_Finite Incantatem_" Hermione said prissily. "Honestly Harry, I would think you'd spend your time on more useful magic."

"Well Hermione, I happen to think this is a very useful bit of magic. I'll never be bored at a dry dinner party, that's for sure."

Even Hermione had to laugh, imagining a grown Harry charming the breadbasket to tango during a business luncheon.

* * *

**A/N: I meant to put this up last night, but my internet was down. Oh well. I'll probably get another chapter up later today as well. **

**KtotheT**, **DracoHermioneFan1295**, **Mysterygalwolf:** Thank you guys soooo much for your reviews! It really means a lot to me, and I'm glad you guys like the story.

**Draco Lover**: He really is. But then, aren't all boys? Don't worry though, I have a feeling he might figure things out pretty soon.

**Also, I've realized the chapter numbers are off in the actual documents. I'll probably get around to fixing that at some point. Or i can just pretend that I'm not an idiot at numbers, and that the mess up was intentional. Or something. Until later, then! Don't forget to review!**

**Elizabeth**


	11. Holiday Break

**Ch.11: Holiday Break**

Watching the other students filtering out of the school for the holidays from the library windows, Harry and Hermione were filled with childish excitement. For three weeks, they had the castle to themselves. Almost.

Of course, many of the teachers stayed behind. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, and Trelawny all called Hogwarts their home, having no other family to be with on the holidays.

Of the students, Harry and Hermione noted, almost all had disappeared for the holidays. Draco and Harry, of course, opted to stay in the castle, and so Hermione and Ron wrote home, deciding to keep their friends company. Ginny too, had written home, saying she preferred to stay at Hogwarts to make sure her brother didn't get into too much mischief.

Several first years were wandering dazedly around the grounds. Hermione laughed quietly to herself as she watched them realize they had gotten detached from the group and rush to catch up the rest of the students making their way to the Hogsmeade station.

The two turned back to the task at hand. Hermione had declared that an hour each day should be spent by at least two of the group, researching in preparation for the confrontation they were sure would happen later in the year.

Draco had proved to be a useful tool in this work. He was familiar with the Dark Arts, having been instructed in them since he was a child. Being well versed in the Dark Arts also made his Defense Against the Dark Arts training much easier.

The DA had been revived, of sorts. After the incident with Marietta, Harry was reluctant to begin training again, and so Hermione had suggested that only a select group be allowed to train.

Thus, Hermione had sent out several letters.

_Attention of:_

_Harry Potter_

_Draco Malfoy_

Ginny Weasley

_Hermione Granger_

_Ronald Weasley_

_Luna Lovegood_

_Neville Longbottom_

_This notice officiates the revival of the DA. We will meet in the in the same place as before on a regular basis. Please use the old signal to learn the date of the first meeting._

Satisfied that this note was obscure enough to not attract attention, Harry had sent out the letter shortly before the holiday, with a first meeting directly following. To everyone's joy (but no one's particular surprise), all invited members attended the first meeting.

It had been a serious meeting, with a discussion of what might occur in the upcoming year, but the students had all left with confidence that the DA would provide them will some of the skills they would need in order to help fight.

Draco had admitted his knowledge of Dark Magic at the meeting, expecting to be shunned from the group, but to his surprise, they seemed happy that someone could share with them clear descriptions of what exactly it was they were up against.

During lessons with Dumbledore, Draco had admitted a much darker secret. His father had a member of Voldemort's inner ring, and Draco, being an observant boy, had picked up intimate knowledge of Voldemort's powers, plans, and cruelty. Dumbledore had asked that Draco share some of his memories with the others, but that he could do that when he felt ready to.

Dumbledore reminded them at the end of the last lesson before the holiday that they should enjoy themselves over the next several weeks, and try to put the task at hand from their minds.

**88888888888888888888888**

Although Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Ron did not completely forget about the "task at hand," they certainly did enjoy themselves over the next several weeks.

One day, while walking by the lake, a clod of snow fell from a branch onto Ron's fiery head. Assuming that it was a snowball thrown, he scooped up a ball of snow and threw it at the nearest human being.

That human being happened to be Draco Malfoy.

Draco glowered at Ron for a moment, before grinning evilly.

"Now you're in for it, mate." Harry chortled as Draco swished his wand, and snowballs began to fly through the air, pelting Ron.

Ron whooped loudly and tried to duck the balls.

"No bloody fair! Tell me what spell you used!!" Ron yelled, scooping up balls of snow and hurling them at Draco.

Draco continued to smile, and the snowballs continued to fly at Ron. He gracefully sidestepped the snowball the Ron had thrown.

Hermione watched the fight, and a slow smile spread across her face.

She snuck behind Draco and flicked her wand. A steady stream of snowballs erupted from her wand, aimed directly at Draco's behind.

As the first snowball hit, Draco turned.

"Hey! What's the idea!" he yelled.

It was then that Draco realized the snowball hadn't been badly aimed. Rather, they were aimed directly for his behind.

Rather than hitting his front, the snow curved gracefully around him, only to curve back to their intended mark.

Draco did what any dignified man would do in such a situation.

Grabbing his smarting behind, he ran for it.

Harry and Ron howled at the sight of Draco Malfoy engaging in what appeared to be a complicated jig around the lake.

Hands clapped firmly to his bottom, he ran with an odd upright posture, attempting to keep that particular part of his anatomy as far away from the stream of snowballs as possible.

"HEEEEEEERMIIIIIIOOOOONNNNNEEE GRAAAAAAANGER!!!!! I'LL GET YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!" Draco howled.

With a smirk, Hermione waved her wand again, and as quickly as the stream of snowballs had begun, they disappeared.

**888888888888888888**

Draco never did get his revenge on Hermione, because in truth, he was afraid of what the witch would do in retaliation.

However, when questioned by Harry and Ron as to what elaborate scheme he had cooked up for their friend, he made up an elaborate response about deciding to be the bigger man and forgive Hermione her transgression.

Harry and Ron suppressed their laughter at this obvious lie, but did not call Draco on it, as Hermione entered the Great Hall.

As she sat, Dumbledore stood, address the five sitting at the Gryffindor table, as well as an assortment of 4th and 5th year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students who had also stayed behind.

"I am pleased to announce that this year we will be extending an invitation to you all." Dumbledore said, smiling down over his half moon glasses.

"It is faculty tradition to serve a Christmas Eve dinner, and this year, as there are so very few of you here, we would like to invite you to dine with us. The dress is, of course, traditionally formal. We expect that you will help us to carry on this tradition."

Dumbledore sat down again, and the students began to talk once again.

"A formal occasion! That means dress robes! And makeup!" Ginny sighed happily to herself.

Hearing this, Hermione panicked.

"Draco!" she hissed to the boy sitting next to her, "Formalwear?! I don't know the slightest thing about this sort of thing! Make up and all that I mean. It took me HOURS to get ready for the Yule Ball."

"And you think I know anything about these things?" He replied coolly. "Why don't you ask a girl friend? Like…oh I don't know…Ginny!"

"Oh. Right." She said, flushing slightly. _Why did I think to ask Draco for help with makeup?_

"Hey Ginny?" She asked tentatively

"Yeah?"

"Would you be willing to help me out with this whole…formalwear thing?" Hermione finished, red faced.

"Well, of course. Absolutely not a problem. We can go to Hogsmeade tomorrow morning." Ginny offered.

Hermione was so relieved that she did not notice the look of triumph that passed between Draco and Ginny.

Finally. A chance to complete Operation Otter.

* * *

**A/N: Hooray! I'll be posting two chapters this evening! That makes for three chapters posted in one day. These next to are fairly light chapters, so writing them went pretty quickly. Hope they were as fun to read as they were to write!**

**College-Mischa** and **Julia**: I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story!

** -NH- Jackie - BL-:** I can't wait for the next book. Or movie. The suspense is killing me. But I'm glad this is helping tide you over!

**KtotheT**: Glad to see you are still with me! Consider these two chapters a little pressie for all the lovely reviews!

**MiKaYGiRl**: I'm having fun with Operation Otter. I'm glad you are too. I guess the next chapter brings the transformation to a close though. However, don't worry, it's not the end of that particular storyline.

**Reviews make my day, which makes me write more, which means…faster updates! So keep them coming! And of course...I don't own any of these characters. Duh.**

**Elizabeth**


	12. Red is for Gryffindor

**Ch.12: Red is for Gryffindor**

Hermione's eyes widened at the sheer number of garments in the formalwear section of Gladrags. Ginny pulled her arm impatiently and began to hold various robes up to Hermione. After several moments, Ginny announced, "Dark Red."

"What?" Hermione replied.

"Find yourself something dark red. I need to find robes for myself." Ginny said impatiently.

"Right." Hermione gulped. _Why, there must be a hundred different sets of robes in dark red in this store. Well, I guess I had better get started._

An hour later, Hermione had narrowed it down to three dresses. She presented them to Ginny, who had already purchased a set of robes.

"Well, let's see them." Ginny said.

At the first set, Ginny shook her head. "You look like a lumpy pudding in that one."

At the second, she simply pursed her lips.

At the third however, Ginny broke into what could only be described as a maniacal grin.

"That's it. Those are the robes that will make- that's the set we want."

Ginny mentally kicked herself. She had almost given away the new part of Operation Otter. Well, it wasn't a part of the plan, as Draco had no idea.

Ginny Weasley was determined to make the blonde oaf realize just why he always brought up Hermione in conversation.

Outside, Ginny pulled Hermione into The Three Broomstick, and ordered butterbeers for the both of them.

"Do you really think those robes are nice?" Hermione asked. She had loved them at first sight, but was not sure of what Ginny would think.

"Of course I do, Hermione. They are beautiful robes, and very festive too." Ginny smiled warmly at her friend.

"Now then…your hair shouldn't be a problem, it seems you've gotten it under control." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah, Draco gave me this great shampoo when he spilt mine. I put a refilling charm on it so that I don't run out." Hermione said enthusiastically.

Ginny smirked into her Butterbeer. Not only was Hermione oblivious to the scheme, she had inadvertently helped maintain the effects of Operation Otter.

"So that means that the only thing left to do is make up!"

Hermione blanched at Ginny's word.

"Ginny…you know I don't own makeup."

"I know, I know, I'll lend you some of mine. Actually, I'll give it to you. It'll just be a few odds and ends, but you don't wear makeup enough to really need it."

The older girl smiled gratefully at her friend.

**8888888888888888888888888888888**

The Christmas Eve Feast was set to begin at 7:30, and at promptly 4:00, Hermione and Ginny disappeared into Hermione's room.

Ginny took her own sweet time curling her long red locks and applying her makeup. Hermione sat on her bed in a terrycloth bathrobe, kicking her feet. Finally, at 5:30, Ginny pronounced herself ready to go. She looked at Hermione, and flicked her wand.

The towel that Hermione had wrapped around her head, turban style, came undone, and her hair tumbled in a damp mess down her back.

With another swish of her wand Ginny performed a Drought Charm and Hermione's hair was instantly dried.

Next Ginny wrapped Hermione's hair around Celeste's Self Heating Curlers, and began to do her makeup.

Half an hour, a pot of Apple of the Eye color, a healthy dusting of blusher, a dab of lipstick, and several other instruments of beautifying torture later, Ginny stepped back to admire her handiwork.

Releasing Hermione's hair from the curlers, Ginny set about piling the think locks on top of Hermione's head.

Finally, at seven that evening, the two girls stepped into their dress robes.

Finally, Ginny allowed Hermione to look at herself in the mirror.

"Oh my." Hermione managed.

Her hair was piled high on her head, with loose curls escaping around her face and the nape of her neck.

Her makeup was light, accentuating the brown color of her eyes and her rosy cheeks.

The dress robes now seemed to glow with a magic of their own. In the store, it had been beautiful, but now the dress seemed heavenly.

It was a loose fitting robe, gathered below the bust in an empire waistline. The shining red fabric fell to the floor, shining black form certain angles.

The square neckline was modest and classic, as were the sheer sleeves with billowed out from the shoulder, gathering in at the wrist.

Hermione turned to Ginny, eyes wide with appreciation.

"It's nothing," Ginny said in an easygoing way. "I've always told you that you were very pretty Hermione. Maybe now you'll believe me."

Sharing a smile, the two girls exited Hermione's room. Draco, Harry, and Ron stood by the fireplace, all looking quite handsome in their black dress robes.

Hermione noticed that Ron's robes were new, and (sadly) lacking in lacy material around the wrists.

What she did not notice was the expression that passed over Draco's face as the familiar warm feeling lurched in his stomach.

_I must be hungry_, he thought. _My stomach is going wild._

**888888888888888888888**

Once everyone had eaten their fill of the roast turkey, eggnog and a large buche de noel appeared on the table.

"I think," Dumbledore said with a smile, "That it is time for dessert, and of course, dancing"

A small dance floor appeared near the beautifully set table, and a soft waltz surrounded the partygoers.

As Ron dug into the Yule log, Harry offered his hand to Ginny, and the two walked to the dance floor, where Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were already dancing.

Hermione took a sip of her eggnog, when to her great surprise, Draco held out his hand.

She took it gingerly, and they joined the growing group on the dance floor.

"You…" Draco began, feeling his voice about to squeak or something equally embarrassing.

He coughed and started again.

"You look very beautiful tonight Hermione."

She blushed and ducked her head.

Ginny, twirling by on Harry's arm, overheard Draco's comment, and silently cheered to herself.

At the next dance, Ron tapped Harry's shoulder.

Harry bowed out gracefully, and Ron twirled his sister around the room.

Harry, in turn, stepped in for Draco, and took Hermione in his arms.

Draco sat watching Hermione smile radiantly as she danced. The warm feeling that had been melting his insides while she was in his arms gradually subsided. He did not notice Ginny taking a seat beside him, watching her brother dance awkwardly with Professor Trelawny.

"Have you sussed it yet?" She said softly into Draco's ear.

He gave a slight start and looked at her quizzically.

"Sussed what?"

Ginny stood up. "Oh, never mind."

She began to walk away, and then turned back.

"Hermione looks wonderful tonight, doesn't she, Draco?" She said quietly, before joining a 5th year Ravenclaw further down the table.

She had said enough. The seed of realization planted in Draco the night he had first realized Hermione was quite attractive had put out a tender sprout, unfurling it's first leaf.

* * *

**  
A/N: Maybe the title of this chapter should read "Red is for Gryffindor, or the Color of Draco's Face when he Realizes what an Idiot he is Being." But perhaps that would be overkill. Who knows? **

Oh that's right...you do! Let me know what you think! (About everything, not just the title. But you are welcome to comment on that too.)

Elizabeth 


	13. Christmas in the Country

**Ch.13: Christmas in the Country**

Hermione cracked an eye opened groggily.

_Why. Must. Sun. Exist._ She thought grumpily.

Her eyes landed on the pile of packages that had been placed at the foot of her bed and her mood brightened.

Throwing back the covers, she reached for the present on top of the pile. Ripping open the brown paper around it, she smiled as a sweater tumbled out. It was royal blue with the letters "HG" in fancy script on the front. She tugged Mrs. Weasley's sweater over her head and reached for the next package.

The paper on this package was a bit worn and rustling suspiciously. A quick glance at the tag revealed the present to be from Fred and George. She opened it carefully, and shrieked several times as two mice tumbled into her lap. They began to scurry around the bed, bumping into each other, and then froze. Hermione looked at the slip of paper that had fallen out:

_Three piercing screams will turn these rodents into sugary confections._

Rolling her eyes, Hermione gingerly picked up the mice and placed them in the garbage.

The next gift had her name scrawled on it in Harry's messy handwriting, and she opened the red paper carefully to reveal a copy of Advanced Practical Charms. She restrained herself from opening the crisp cover immediately, instead opening what she assumed must be Ron's gift from the messy wrapping.

Ron had gotten her a Self Inking Eagle Quill, which she was had be looking at in Hogsmeade on their last visit.

From Ginny there was a pair of slippers that warmed themselves with a simple incantation, and from Draco there was simply a card.

Opening it, a slip of paper fell into her lap, and she picked it up. As her fingers touched it, the paper seemed to melt in her fingers. It then burst into a single blood red rose.

Thinking this an odd gift, Hermione put it aside.

**8888888888888888888**

In the room adjacent, Draco had finished unwrapping his gifts, and was currently staring at the note Hermione had given him, wrapped in up in a box.

_Meet me outside the Room of Requirements at 4'o-clock sharp.  
HG_

He smiled at the fact that Hermione's initials reflected both her name and her position, and tucked the note into his pocket. As he thought of her, he wondered if she had figured out the gift he had sent it.

_She must have. She's the brightest witch of our age._

He wondered why he had sent such a thing, and what her reaction would be when she saw what he had sent.

_What if she laughs at me? Or doesn't like it? I'm a bloody idiot._

**888888888888888888888**

Hermione tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Draco to arrive. He was five minutes late, even though she had seen him not half an hour before in the Great Hall. Hermione did not like being kept waiting.

Finally, she heard hurried footsteps coming towards her. Draco rounded the corner, out of breath and red faced.

"Sorry Hermione, I got caught up discussion Quidditch with Harry and Ron. I didn't realize the time." He panted.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, we're late, but no matter. Now, we're going to walk past the Room of Requirements three times. I want you to think very hard about the fact that you _must be with Hermione Granger_. I tried it with Harry last night, it should work." She said

Draco looked at her quizzically, but at her slightly annoyed expression, he nodded.

The two paced back and forth in deep concentration, and when the door materialized, Hermione looked a bit nervous.

Draco watched as she bit her lip softly, her eyes gazing intently at the door.

She looked over to him, and said, "Well, here goes!"

She took Draco by the hand, which startled him, and then threw open the door.

Pulling him inside with a quick tug, Hermione dropped his hands and the two stood there in silence and wonder.

They were standing in a wonderland. The sky was blue, the grass green, with hills in the distance.

_Perfect_. Hermione thought as she surveyed the table set before them. A tea table set for two.

"It's just like Mary Poppins!" Draco exclaimed.

"Well, you had said that sometimes you wished you could get away, and I thought that…" Hermione trailed off. Was her gift silly?

She was startled by the quick hug that Draco gave her.

"It's great Hermione. Thanks." He said quietly.

Relieved, she gestured to the table, "Care for tea?"

The two sat down and dug into the cakes and sandwiches, chatting happily as they ate.

**888888888888888888888888888**

As Draco polished off the final cake, Hermione sipped at her third cup of tea.

"Now all we need are tap dancing penguins!" Draco joked.

Hermione jumped up.

"I almost forgot!" She exclaimed.

She walked over to a corner, were four wooded penguins that Draco had not noticed before were standing. Tapping each on the head with the tip of her wand, Hermione muttered softly to herself.

As she stepped back, the penguins sprang into motion.

Sitting down across from Draco, Hermione watched his usually tense features relax into an expression of delight as the chubby penguins leapt about.

Without the hardened expression Draco had worn lately, he looked much younger and happier. Hermione admired the curve of his lips as they spread into a smile of childish excitement.

Looking over at Hermione, Draco caught her eye briefly. She colored slightly before focusing on the penguins. Seeing her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with excitement, Draco realized exactly what that odd feeling he felt around her must mean.

Knowing now that his Christmas gift to her was appropriate, he suddenly realized that she might not feel the same about him. Perhaps she had figured it out, and wasn't mentioning the gift because she found it inappropriate. Perhaps she would laugh at him.

A tight feeling of panic seized his throat momentarily, and he almost choked on his own tongue.

The penguins slowed their dance, until one by one the stopped moving all together, and the only sound in the room was the enchanted sound of birdsong resonating from the enchanted walls of the room.

Draco heard Hermione clear her throat softly, and he noticed that he was standing next to her.

"Happy Christmas, Draco." She said softly.

"Happy Christmas Hermione." He said before continuing awkwardly, "Erm, did you, uh, get my present?"

She looked at his oddly, and then said, "Yes, it was a very pretty flower. Thanks."

Relief flooded through him. She hadn't figured it out.

"Oh…Hermione. I thought you would have figured it out. The flower isn't the gift. I transfigured it. If you tap it with your wand and say _Reverso_, it should reveal itself."

"Oh. Of course. How silly of me. I should have…" Hermione trailed off. Draco had stood, and she suddenly noticed how tall he was.

He was looking into her eyes, and she felt her stomach turn in a not wholly unpleasant manner.

Draco felt his heart rate soar as he looked into her eyes. He knew that everything would be all right.

He bent toward her.

Hermione's eyes widened as his face came closer, but her voice felt trapped in the back of her throat. She closed her eyes.

He stopped just as their lips touched.

"Hermione." He murmured, and she shivered at the thrill that traveled down her spine as his lips brushed hers.

She wanted to move her head to his, to press her lips against his, but she couldn't move.

"I suggest you go open your present." He said, pulling his head away from hers.

Movement restored to her body, Hermione nodded blankly, eyes wide open once again.

"O…okay." She managed, and walked out of the room quickly.

Draco sat down on the chair, and put his fingertips to his mouth, which felt as though it were on fire.

**88888888888888888888**

Back in her own room, Hermione grabbed the rose off her bedside table with trembling fingers. She placed it on her quilt.

"_Reverso_," she whispered, tapping it with her wand.

She watched the rose widen, elongate, and distort, until it became a rectangular green velvet box, embossed with a silver rose.

Opening it, she gasped slightly.

Resting on a black cushion was a silver chain from which dangled a delicate pendant. A small, rectangular cut emerald was set into the pendant, surrounded by several smaller pieces of onyx.

She touched the jewels gingerly, as if afraid they would break.

Lifting the delicate silver chain from the box, Hermione clipped it around her neck, feeling the cool metal against her skin.

She looked down at the box again. The letters NBM were embossed in tiny silver letters in the corner of the cushion.

_NBM…NBM…Narcissa Black Malfoy._

Hand to her collarbone, Hermione rushed downstairs. She could see Draco's white blonde hair from where she sat on the couch.

Sitting gingerly next to him, she waited for him to acknowledge her presence.

_She's going to laugh at me. Or say she hates it._ Draco though miserably. When Hermione said nothing, he looked over to her.

Instead of being fully of laughter or spite, Hermione's eyes were filled with tears.

_Oh no. She REALLY hates it._ Draco thought in a panic.

"Look, Hermione, I'm really sorry. I can take it back if you don't want it. I should have known it was stupid." He said in a rush.

"Stupid?" Hermione said with a quavering voice. "Draco, it's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given me."

"Oh." Draco said, feeling stupid.

"It's just that…I can't take this from you."

_I knew it! She does hate it!_ He thought.

Instead he managed to say, rather miserably, "Why not?"

"Well, it's just that this was your mother's, wasn't it?

He nodded, waiting for her to go on.

"Well, I can't take something of hers away from you. You loved her so much." She said softly.

"Hermione," Draco began in a slightly strangled voice, "my mother was the only person who ever really loved me. She was the only person I'd ever loved. Because of that…I wanted you to have something of hers. Because…because…"

He didn't have to say anything more. In fact, he couldn't say anything, because at that moment, Hermione silenced his strained speech.

Draco's insides melted as her lips covered his.

When they finally pulled away, he looked into her eyes and saw the fire that burned in his own stomach glowing back at him.

He leaned into her once more.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Between the holidays and heading back to University, I've been bogged down. I've an incredible amount of reading for school as well as rehearsals for a play I'm in, but hopefully updates will not be too sporadic. Cheers!**

Julia and **MysteryGalWolf**: Well, we have finally come to the part of the story where they get together! Huzzah!

**KtotheT**, **College-Mischa**, and **Kill-me-if-Harry-dies**: Glad to see you are still with me! Sorry for the long wait you guys!

**MiKaYGiRl**: Ginny is indeed smart. I think she is a very good character overall, and wanted to work her into the story somehow.

**Elizabeth**


	14. A Close Encounter

**Chp 14: A Close Encounter**

The New Year had passed uneventfully, and classes were back in session at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The seventh years were all buried in their studies as their N.E.W.T.s were quickly approaching.

Hermione sat at her desk in Defense Against the Dark Arts, eyes concentrating on Snape as he droned on about the use of Inferi in battles. Next to her, Harry shuddered briefly, remembering his close encounter with the pale bodies the previous year.

Ron was snoring lightly on Harry's other side, and Harry nudged him with an elbow.

Ron's eyes snapped open and he picked up his quill, starting to write notes with fervor, yawning widely.

The blonde boy sitting on Hermione's other side snickered at the bleary look on Ron's face. Hermione smacked his hand lightly under the desk, and he caught her hand in his own, fingers entwined.

Hermione's eyes widened momentarily. It had, after all, only been a week and a half since that night.

The night where everything changed. She thought dreamily, before shaking herself and busying her free hand with note taking.

Draco allowed himself to look at Hermione out of the corner of his eyes. He thought of how beautiful her face seemed to him as she bent over her parchment, writing furiously with the quill Ron had given her for Christmas

The necklace she wore around her neck caught the soft light from the chandelier overhead, and he smiled to himself. Hermione kicked him.

"Mr. Malfoy," came Snape's oily drawl. "For the third time I ask: Can an Inferius be defeated?"

**88888888888888888**

It was Monday evening, and Harry and Draco walked to Dumbledore's office in companionable silence.

When Harry and Ron had first discovered that Hermione and Draco had finally gotten together, they had teased him quite mercilessly, but that had settled down as the group adjusted it's rhythm to Draco and Hermione's relationship.

"Butter Toffee," Harry said clearly to the gargoyle, which spring to life.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, and nodded as the two boys entered his office. The portraits looked at the two boys with interest, as they always did, and Harry smiled at them.

"Tonight, we will not be conducting any research," Dumbledore began. "Instead, we will be taking a short journey."

Draco and Harry looked at each other with excitement. Taking the heavy cloaks the Dumbledore handed them, they wrapped themselves and followed Dumbledore out of the castle.

The snow glittered in the moonlight. A light wind blew some of the loose snow around, and it swirled in ghostlike patterns across the frozen surface of the ground.

The three did not speak a word until they had reached the gates of the school. Dumbledore stopped abruptly.

"We are partaking in a dangerous mission tonight. Before they went into hiding, Lily and James Potter lived just outside of Hyde Park. Regulus Black was found dead not far from where they lived. He had been living in an abandoned home, and we can now assume that he had been trying to reach the Potters to give them information."

"We will be visiting the site of Regulus Black's murder to see if we can find any information as to the whereabouts of the locket he stole."

The two boys nodded gravely, and the group walked down the road towards Hogsmeade.

Dumbledore stopped at a small clearing along the road, and spread his arms.

"We will apparate from here. Concentrate on the address '18 Whingley Lane,'" He said, before disappearing with a sharp crack.

**88888888888888888**

The wind whistled softly through the branches of the trees, and Draco looked with great trepidation at the rickety shack before them.

The porch leaned precariously to one side, and the middle step was missing. A beat up porch swing creaked back and forth in the cold breeze, as though a ghostly figure were sitting there, observing.

He noticed that Harry and Dumbledore had strode purposefully forward, and he shook himself mentally.

_It's just an old house. No need to get all jittery_, he thought to himself forcefully.

Dumbledore repaired the broken step with a swish of his wand, and the three carefully climbed up the steps.

"Alohomora," Dumbledore said firmly, and the creaky door swung open.

The inside of the building was covered in a thick layer of dust and smelt strongly of mothballs and cat.

Harry picked his way across the floor, avoiding several dead mice and piles of bat droppings while Draco fidgeted nervously, back pressed against the wall.

Dumbledore stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed serenely, with his fingers pressed together.

"Ah. Of course." He said softly, opening his eyes. "Follow me."

Harry and Draco followed without a word. Dumbledore strode into the hallway, turned the corner, and was waiting for them in the midst of an old kitchen when Harry and Draco entered the room.

"Doesn't this all seem rather…simple?" Draco asked hoarsely.

"My dear boy, Harry and I have already gone through the magic to get to this Horcrux." Dumbledore said kindly as Harry shifted uncomfortably, remembering the awful events of the previous year.

"All that remains is to discern if Regulus succeeded in destroying the Horcrux, or if he hide it somewhere. If he had not succeeded in destroying it, we can be sure that it was hidden very well for Voldemort not to have been able to track it down."

"Now. Regulus lived in this room here, it still has traces of magic."

Draco and Harry watched as Dumbledore whispered softly, caressing the dusty countertop.

His long fingers traced an intricate design on the surface, and gestured for Harry and Draco to join him.

The three placed their fingers lightly around the patterned traced on the table, and in unison spoke one of the many spells that they had learned during their lessons with Dumbledore.

"_Aparecia Totalus._"

The pattern glowed golden, and the golden light floated up into the air around their heads, writhing and reshaping itself into the names of many spells.

"There," Dumbledore breathed as he used his wand to coax a single word away from the floating mass.

"_Prosterno_."

The Vaporizing Spell. Draco's eyes widened. _Prosterno_ was a powerful and complicated spell. If cast successfully, the Vaporizing Spell released a concentrated destructive force that few substances on earth could withstand.

"Professor," Harry asked quietly, "that shows that the spell was cast, but how do we know if it was done correctly? The Vaporizing Spell would have destroyed the locket completely, and if the spell went incorrectly, the locket would not be here either."

Dumbledore nodded gravely, studying the floating word. Suddenly, he bent down. Harry and Draco looked to where Dumbledore was staring intently. The dust on the floor was of a slightly darker color.

Looking at each other with hopeful expressions, the three began to concentrate on the dirty floor.

"_Revalo Incantatem,_" Harry whispered nervously. A small stream of light shot from his wand and connected with the ground, dancing like lighting across the dust.

Nothing happened. Dumbledore nodded to Draco, who knelt down next to Harry.

"_Revalo Incantatem_," he said through dry lips. Another dancing beam of light joined Harry's

Still nothing.

Dumbledore used his wand to pull to glowing outline of the Vaporizing Spell towards to the dust.

"_Cambiato Incantatem_," he said calmly. Harry and Draco watched in awe as the glowing word absorbed their streams of light, swirling the dust on the floor around.

A moment later, the dust had settled into the ghostly outline of a delicate locket.

_CRACK!_

The sound of someone apparating outside of the house startled the three, and broke the stream of concentration. The dust fell to the ground in a small pile, and the glowing words floating above the table dispersed into the air.

The porch door banged open.

"Who's there?!" came the gruff yell from the front room. "I know yer in here. Show yourselves and I may be merciful."

Harry and Draco looked at each other in panic. Draco recognized that voice, a voice he knew well. Bernard Flint was a close personal friend of his father's.

Dumbledore grabbed the two boys by the arm, blasting a hole in the kitchen wall and pulled them outside.

Red light began to flash around them as Bernard blindly threw curses their way.

Still holding tightly to the boys, Dumbledore apparated with a loud crack, and Harry and Draco felt odd relief at the squeezing sensation that brought them back to Hogsmeade.

**88888888888888888888**

Ron and Harry sat in the two comfortable chairs in Professor Dumbledore's office while Draco sat on the couch, Hermione wrapped securely in his arms.

Dumbledore looked down at the group from behind his desk, speaking seriously to the small group assembled.

"Tonight's mission took a dangerous turn. Luckily, I do not believe that Bernard Flint got a clear view of who we were, as we were all wearing large cloaks. No doubt he will believe that we were a mischevious group of teenagers who broke into the house on a dare or something equally foolish."

"But Professor, won't the spells you performed leave traces?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore smiled at her fondly, replying, "The magic performed in that house this evening was complex magic indeed. It would take a very powerful wizard to sense that those spells had been used, an even more powerful one to realize to what purpose they were used."

"I am certain that Voldemort will examine the home at some point and realize what has happened, as he has apparently been closely monitoring the home. However, the half empty bottles of firewhiskey that I conjured was we escaped will no doubt be convincing enough to Flint to deter him from reporting a 'serious situation' immediately."

"So, is the locket really gone then?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Yes Mr. Weasley, I believe we can safely assume that only three Horcruxes remain…Nangini, the Dark Mark Brand, and Voldemort himself. We will have to locate and destroy each Horcrux during the Final Battle, as we can be sure that Voldemort will keep them close to his person."

**8888888888888888888**

It was a solemn group that exited Dumbledore's office late that night.

Harry and Ron waved good-bye to Hermione and Draco as they parted at the top of the stairs.

Hermione gripped Draco's hand tightly and he squeezed her hand back several times on the short walk to their dormitory.

Once inside the portrait hole, Hermione began to sob softly.

"I-I-almost lost you tonight-" she sniffled miserably.

Draco lifted her tearstained face to his gently and brushed her tears away with his thumbs.

"Hermione, love, that is untrue and you know it. Harry and I were perfectly safe with Dumbledore. Besides, you know I would never leave you alone, right?"

She sniffed and nodded.

He bent down and kissed her gently, pulling her towards him.

Hermione melted into his warm embrace and they kissed tenderly for several moments. When they broke apart, Draco leaned his forehead against hers, their noses almost touching.

Hermione wanted desperately to voice the feelings that were churning her stomach, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She tried to focus on his eyes, but they were blurry from their proximity, and she finally pulled away from him, walking over to the couch.

The embers in the fireplace glowed softly, and Hermione picked up the Ancient Runes she had been working on before being called to Dumbledore's office.

Draco came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed the back of her neck, and she felt shivers erupt along her spine.

Turning to face him, she smiled a little sadly.

"Goodnight Draco. Sleep well."

Draco watched Hermione walk upstairs, an odd feeling in the back of his throat.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it has been so disgustingly long since I updated. I literally have not had a free moment in my day, so I had to drop a course to preserve my sanity and now I have some time to breathe. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, Now we're starting to get into the actual action of the story!**

**I'm also running a bit short on time for individual comments, but:**

**Mysterygalwolf, missycary12, Kill-me-if-Harry-dies, Mrs. St. John Allerdyce, -NH- Jackie -BL-, MiKaYGiRl, shoppinsweetie13,** and **aerochick06**: Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long!

**For all you other readers…if you read it, why not review it? I promise it won't hurt you! Plus…I just might update sooner if you send me lots of love!**

**Elizabeth**


	15. A Gloomy Sort of Day

**Chp 15: A Gloomy Sort of Day**

It was a rather dismal February morning. The snow had melted away in unseasonable rain, only to have the ground freeze over once more in a sudden cold snap.

The skies were gray, matching the tired faces of the seventh year students.

Between review sessions and practicing for their N.E.W.T.s, many of the seventh years could honestly say they had caught less than three hours of sleep a night.

As the younger students chattered on about classes and Quidditch, Hermione absentmindedly sipped her pumpkin juice. She ate a spoonful of porridge and turned a well-worn page in her Ancient Runes textbook.

_I nearly know every word by heart_, she though proudly to herself.

A pair of arms snaked around her waist, and she jumped slightly in her seat. Turning to glare at Draco, she noticed Ron, fast asleep on the table. His head was dangerously close to his platter of scrambled eggs, and she pushed it out of the way before focusing on the blonde boy straddling the bench beside her.

"Good morning, love," he said softly, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. Hermione felt a swelling feeling in her stomach as she smiled back at him.

"Good morning yourself. Did you sleep well?" She asked him.

"Well, I'd hope so…I dreamt about you." He responded playfully.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and sniffed in mock disapproval.

"Nothing dirty, I would hope."

"That is for me to know, and you to wonder about." He said, giving her a wink.

Harry stumbled over to the table blearily.

"How can you to be so happy this early in the morning?" He said through a yawn, throwing his lanky body onto the bench beside Ron.

"Caffiene, Harry. Caffiene." Draco said, pulling out a flask of coffee.

Harry grabbed it from him and took a long swig.

"Oi! Watch it, that's all that I've got, and it's got to last me all morning!" Draco exclaimed.

Harry dangled the container just out of Draco's reach, and Draco grabbed for it.

Hermione smacked them both and confiscated the flask.

"You aren't supposed to have this anyways Draco dear." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, Draco _dear_, you heard the woman." Harry said with a laugh.

Ron let out a loud snore.

Harry looked down at the sleeping boy beside him and got a mischevious twinkle in his eye. He glanced over to Draco who was grinning rather evilly. Their eyes met, and Harry tossed Draco an apple from the basket on the table.

Draco waved his wand over it with a flourish, and with a loud pop, a large, lifelike rubber spider sat on the table.

"Oh honestly." Hermione said disapprovingly.

Harry picked up the spider, and placed it on the side of Ron's face.

"Wakey wakey ickle Ronnykins," he said into Ron's ear.

Ron blinked several times, then put his hand to his face with a bewildered look.

"ARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" He yelled, flailing about. "Gerra off, Gerra offa me!!"

Ron managed to knock into his plate of scrambled eggs, dumping them in his lap.

Harry and Draco laughed so hard that tearsstreamed down Harry's face, while Draco slowly turned a delicate shade of eggplant.

Shaking her head, but smiling lightly, Hermione pointed her wand to Ron's lap.

"_Scourgify_. _Reverso Incantatem_." She said.

Ron stopped flailing, and looked down at the apple sitting in his now eggless lap.

"You gits! You bloody gits!" Her yelled, quite red about the ears.

"Now now Ron. Just be glad we woke you in time for Charms." Harry said calmly, wiping the tears from his cheeks with a napkin.

"Charms…" Hermione said to herself, looking at her watch. "BOYS! MOVE IT! We have class in three minutes!!"

The foursome ran to Charms, laughing breathlessly the whole way there.

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Draco was sitting in the Common Room, reading over his notes from that morning's Charms class.

"…_The Viverara Charm may be used to lengthen the life of flowers for up to two weeks, depending on the skill of the caster_." He read to himself.

_I'll have to remember that one for Valentine's Day,_ he thought to himself. _When is Valentine's Day anyhow?_

Glancing at the date on the top of his notes, Draco panicked. _February 14_.

_Bugger. What in bloody HELL am I supposed to do? _

Quickly, he neated up the piles of books and parchments scattered around the common room and lit a fire in the big stone firepace.

He had an idea, but he knew that Hermione would be back from her Transfiguration review session very shortly.

Running to the kitchens, Draco clutched at the stitch developing in his side. _I really should start to get more exercise_, he thought to himself irritably.

Bursting into the kitchen, he asked Dobby to bring his several things, which floated over to him neatly wrapped up.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he said hurriedly, and packages floating in front of him, strode quickly back to the Head's Common Room.

He busied himself in unpacking, and then settled back in on the couch to wait for Hermione's return.

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Hermione was bone tired. She dragged her feet along, cursing the many stairs she had to walk up to reach her nice cosy bed.

Well, the stairs and the mountain of Charms homework that stood between her and her cosy bed.

Muttering the password irritably to the portrait, Hermione stomped through the portrait hole, before stopping dead in her tracks.

Before her was a merrily crackling fire that threw flickering shadows on the floor before it.

Laid out on the rug was a checkered tablecloth. Two goblets sat on either side of a slender bottle. A single rose in a glass vase was surrounded by an assortment of small cakes and chocolates in the shape of hearts and flowers.

Her eyes traveled up to meet Draco's loving gaze.

She looked at him in astonishment, wondering, _What is all this for?_

"Happy Valentine's Day Hermione." Draco said with a smile.

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh no. Draco. I…I forgot. I'm a miserable, awful, terrible excuse for a girlfriend." She said softly.

In an instant, Draco had his arms around her.

"No, Hermione. That's not true. To tell you the truth, I…well, I forgot too until just now, or I'd have something better for you." He said into her ear.

Hermione smiled a little at his confession.

"I guess with N.E.W.Ts coming up so quickly, I just forgot about, well, everything. I'm so sorry Draco."

"It's quite alright. Now, let's enjoy this little snack." He said to her as he lead her over to the carpet.

The two sat and Draco opened the bottle of elf-made wine, pouring them each a glass.

"To us." He said, lifting his goblet.

"To us." Hermione echoed, tapping his glass with her own.

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An hour later, Hermione was laying sleepily on the couch, wrapped in Draco's arms.

She breathed in the spicy smell that clung to his clothes, and laced her fingers through his.

Sitting up next to him, she kissed him gently, and he responded, warming to the pressure of her soft lips on his.

Several moments later, they broke apart, slightly breathless.

"Draco?" Hermione said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Mm?"

"I love you."She whispered into his neck.

Draco lifted her chin and looked into her warm eyes. She flushed slightly, but looked steadily at him.

"Hermione…I…"

"It's okay," she said softly. "You don't have to say anything. I just…wanted you to know."

"No. That's not it." He said hurridly.

"Oh. Well then, um, what-"

He cut her off with a kiss.

Pulling back he said, "Will you just listen to me for once, Hermione Granger? I'm trying to tell you that…"

"…I love you too."

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you all go! This chappie was pretty light since there are going to be some big changes happening in the lives of our fantastic foursome very soon. Expect another update soon…I've got some ideas floating around and basically have the ending settled (not that the end is going to happen for quite some time). Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it actually did get me off my butt and over to the nice word processing machine.**

**Aerochick06, xkimchee, College-Mischa, avchocoholic, MiKaYGiRl, Kill-me-if-Harry-dies, Elizabeth Yaster, KtotheT**: YAY! Such lovely wonderful reviews! You all really made my day(s)! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, and hope to see you all back here soon.

**Prettylittlething**: well, I'm glad you did review! Thanks a bundle, and I hope that you enjoyed this next bit. The "real" action will be picking up again next chapter.

**Jamy21**: Thanks! And don't worry, the "goodnight" was not supposed to be foreboding. But…I can't promise that Draco and Hermione will not have some perilous moments later in the story.

**Mrs. St. John Allerdyce**: You guessed correctly!

**If I somehow missed you and you did review...wow. I am a bloody idiot. Pleas feel free to throw rotten vegetables at my dense skull. But no, really. I'm terribly sorry and that is what i get for writing late at night, but I did love your reviews. All of you! Well, that about wraps everything up I suppose. Oh no, wait. I forgot to beg for reviews.**

**begs with puppy dog eyes**

**Elizabeth**


	16. A Long Journey

**Chp.16: A Long Journey**

Dumbledore nodded to the dark hair man sitting across from him.

"Thank you Severus. This information will be quite useful."

Wordlessly, the Potions Master swept out of Dumbledore's office, black cloak billowing behind him.

Dumbledore sighed and massaged his temples. He blamed himself for this complication, and worried over the fact that his students would be the ones to pay for it.

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Hermione Granger woke with a start to a sharp rapping on her door. Sleepily, she opened it and smiled at the tousled blonde head in front of her.

Her expression changed when she saw Draco's expression.

"Draco? What's going on?" She said, rubbing her eyes and blinking hard several times.

"Dumbledore wants to see us in his office in half an hour," he said, and noting her concerned expression, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sure its nothing, love. You get ready and I'll meet you downstairs."

Hermione shut the door and sat on her bed. Things had been wonderful since that night three weeks ago. The lines of worry about Draco's face had softened, and her heart warmed every time that he whispered, "I love you" into her ear.

She worried because the harried expression that had begun to fade from his face had reappeared just now, as he told her that Dumbledore needed to see them.

_Surely it's too soon for the Confrontation. Why, we haven't even had our N.E.W.T.s yet_, Hermione thought.

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Hermione and Draco walked through the quiet halls of Hogwarts, wrapped up in their own thoughts. The sound of their shoes clacking against the stone floors echoed down the corridor.

They met Harry and Ron in front of the gargoyle statue, and Hermione noted the grim expression on Harry's face. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked pale.

As she looked at the faces of the boys around her, Hermione wondered if it was indeed time.

_We aren't ready for this yet. Draco and Harry should have had weeks more training,_ Hermione thought frantically.

"Nougat Knobs," Harry said to the gargoyle, which sprang into action, revealing the winding staircase that led to the Headmaster's office.

The door swung open as soon as they reached the top of the stairs, to reveal Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, gazing down at a piece of parchment.

Harry cleared this throat, and Dumbledore looked up, smiling tiredly.

"I am sorry to have woken you all so early this morning," he began, "but it seems that complications have arisen."

Hermione opened her mouth to question the older wizard, but he raised a finger to her.

"You see, my dear students, it seems that Voldemort was watching the house young Masters Potter, Malfoy, and I visited more closely than I expected. I have received information that Voldemort is aware that several of his Horcruxes have been destroyed. I do doubt that he knows all but the three closet to himself have been found, but he has taken extra precautions."

"My sources tell me that while Voldemort has not sent Nagini away, he has personally hidden the second object in a remote location. I fear that because of my carelessness, we must first find the fifth Horcrux before we can destroy it."

Ron gulped audibly, and Hermione cut in.

"Professor, how are we supposed to figure out where the final Horcrux lies?"

"Well, Ms. Granger. You have already deduced what the Horcrux is. I trust that you would be willing to assist your friends in finding where Voldemort may have hidden it." Dumbledore said to her with a kind smile.

Hermione's eyes widened at the though of how much research this task would require. However, looking at the hopeful faces around her, she nodded.

"Of course, Professor. I will do whatever I can to help."

"Wonderful. Now then, let's see. Ah yes," Dumbledore handed the parchment on his desk to Harry.

"This is a charmed map of all the UK. It will adjust itself to your location in order to help you find your way around."

"Why do we need this, Professor?" Draco said.

"Well, my dear boy, the four of you will have to travel alone to find this. I am sure that Voldemort will be closely tracking my movements, and cannot risk leaving the castle. I know Tom Riddle, and he would never suspect that I would send students on such a dangerous mission without supervision, so as long as I remain in the castle, your journey will be a safer one."

"I trust you will come to me as soon as you have the information we need to track down the Brand. Best of luck to you all."

Dumbledore waved the stunned students out of his office.

At the bottom of the staircase, Harry let out a long, shaky breath. Draco put and an arm around a pale-faced Hermione, and Ron shook his head, saying:

"Bloody Hell."

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Hermione sighed, rubbing the back of her aching neck.

She had been reading for hours.

There were very few mentions of Magical Brands in even the restricted section of the library. She wasn't sure how exactly she was to figure out where Voldemort would hide such a thing.

Does Dumbledore expect me to read Voldemort's mind? She thought irritably. I don't even know the man, how am I supposed to figure out where he's gone and hid the Brand.

Sighing, she put _Dark Objects and Their Uses_ back onto the dusty shelf.

Her eye fell onto a slim blue volume.

_Rowena Ravenclaw: A Reflection._

Hermione pulled it out of the shelf. It couldn't hurt to try.

_Rowena Ravenclaw, born around 1000 A.D. is most greatly remembered as one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…_

Hermione flipped the faded pages of the book with a bored expression.

Suddenly, she flipped back several pages.

_Ravenclaw is commonly believed to have been born in Scotland. The name Rowena is a family name believed to have originated in the fifth century. The name Rowena is a Saxon name. The coincidence of the name Rowena in the Ravenclaw family tree with the invasion of the Saxons leads many historians to believe that the Ravenclaw family is of Germanic descent._

_Scotland._ Hermione thought. _That sounds familiar._

In a flash, Hermione leapt up and hurried through the stacks of the library. Pulling out a volume called _Scottish Lore_, she turned hurriedly to the end of the book.

_The magical qualities of the city of Edinburgh have worked their way into even Muggle folklore. Two sites in particular are so important to magical people that it is impossible to conceal them from the general populous. The first, or the labyrinths under the city are particularly popular to Dark Wizards. The second, known as Arthur's Seat, in addition to being an important magical cite, is in fact the site where Rowena Ravenclaw's most famous work was completed. Ravenclaw, one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…_

"Finally." Hermione breathed with a smile.

She held the book close to herself as she rushed towards Dumbledore's office, ignoring the shocked cries of Madame Pince to return at once with the old book.

* * *

**A/N: Well, here it is! There are large adventures coming up for our favorite foursome. I hope that this twist in plot doesn't turn any readers away…let me know what you think. And don't worry…just because the next few chapters will be more action-based doesn't mean that I'm forgetting about Draco and Hermione. Thanks to all who read and reviewed!**

MiKaYGiRl: Thanks! I thought it was cute too! --

**Elizabeth Yaster:** Glad you are enjoying it!

**KtotheT**: Draco is amazingly cute! Unlike most boys…sigh. I can definitely share your phone pains. Urgh.

**Kill-me-if-harry-dies**: Well, it is certainly good to know I don't have to beg at least one reader for reviews! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and really enjoy your reviews! Thanks!

**aerochick06**: Yay! I loved writing the "I love you" part…those situations are always so awkward but also adorable.

**Jamy21**: I feel your pain…I recently moved and will be alone as well…I suppose I'll make it up to myself with a big old box of chocolates.

**Avchocoholic, Mysterygalwolf, cheekymonkey1994, Mrs. St. John Allerdyce**: Thanks! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it! Hope to see you back here soon!

**Well, that is all for now! I'm pretty excited for the next chapter, I started working it out, so hopefully I won't take too long to update. Oh yeah, I nearly forgot! (Not really) REVIEW! Yay!!**

**Elizabeth**


	17. About Heather and Mushrooms

**Chp.17: About Heather and Mushrooms**

The crescent moon peaked through the clouds and a chilly wind creaked through the bare limbs of the trees outside of Hogsmeade Village.

Four teenagers huddled in a circle, clutching rucksacks. Their cloaks billowed about them in the cold night air, and puffs of frozen breath streamed out of their mouths as they waited in the cold.

The time had come for the four to travel to the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. There, they hoped to find and destroy Voldemort's brand.

Dumbledore had called them to his office earlier that evening and handed Draco a slip of paper that contained the name of a bed and breakfast where they would be staying.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco waited for Hermione's watch to reach 23:59:00 hours.

As the watch hand clicked closer to their departure time, Hermione motioned to the others.

They gathered round the broken umbrella that lay at their feet.

"Now." Hermione said softly, and they grabbed hold of the tattered fabric.

Draco gulped at the tugging feeling around his middle, and tried to take deep breaths as the Portkey sucked them through space.

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"Oof!" Ron gasped, rubbing his head. The teens were sprawled out in a grassy area. The heather beneath them, while cushioning to their fall, was actually quite scratchy, and Harry sneezed.

Hermione looked around with confusion. They had landed on a small hillside. In the distance, Hermione could make out a loch, its surface choppy from the chill breeze.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Draco said irritably. "I thought Edinburgh was a true city…not the middle of nowhere."

Hermione shook her head impatiently.

"This isn't Edinburgh, you oaf. Dumbledore must have made a mistake."

"Or maybe…he wanted us to come here for a reason," Harry said thoughtfully.

Ron grumbled under his breath and set about picking several sprigs of heather off his cloak.

Hermione sat watching him blankly.

Draco came up beside her and snaked his arms around her waist. She leaned back against his warm chest and let her breathing pattern adjust to his.

Bliss.

Even on a cold hillside on a gray day, Hermione could feel as though the sun were shining and birds were singing all around her.

_Oh gods, I am turning into a complete sap. Focus, Hermione. Focus, _she thought fiercely.

Ron's voice broke her from her reviere.

"Oi! What kind of plant is this anyways? It should be dead in this kind of cold."

"Don't be silly Ron. We've landed in heather. It's known to survive temperatures of as low as –38 C. It's really quite an interesting plant…"

Ron rolled his eyes and tuned Hermione out.

"THAT'S IT!" She yelled.

Ron yelped, and turned around. "Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to…I just…I won't…"

Hermione looked at him as if he had a marble loose.

"What on earth are you going on about? Anyways, as I was saying before Ronald so rudely interrupted me, heather has important healing powers. It is an important ingredient in many medical potions. Dumbledore probably wanted us to have some on hand."

"Hermione, you are a genius!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing several fistfuls of the plant and shoving them into his rucksack.

Draco hugged her middle tightly and laid several kisses across the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

Hermione smacked him lightly, and got up to help Harry collect the heather.

Several moments later, the two sat down again.

"Now," Ron said, "how are we expected to get out of here?"

The four sighed and Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

Suddenly, Harry pointed to a spot slightly to the left of Hermione's shoulder.

"Do you see that, over there?" he asked his friends.

On closer examination, the object Harry had spotted appeared to be a discarded cloak. Draco bent down to pick it up, but Hermione stopped him.

"You don't know what that is. Don't touch it."

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"What?"

"Does that look like the Hogwarts crest to you?"

Ron bent down to look closer. "Blimey, so it is, mate!"

"I think we may have found our way out of here," Harry said with a wide grin.

"Well, I suppose it's worth a try," Draco said with a shrug.

The four circled the cloak, and simultaneously touched it.

Hermione groaned as she felt the familiar tug around her navel.

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"I will be glad if I never have to do that AGAIN," Draco huffed indignantly.

The four were walking through the winding streets of Edinburgh. The portkey had unceremoniously dropped them in an alleyway in between a pub and a shop. They had shed their thick coats and shrugged into jackets and were now wandering rather aimlessly.

"Draco, hush. We're in a muggle town. Don't talk about magic," Hermione muttered to him under her breath.

"Right. Well. I'm awful hungry. Do you mind if we stop somewhere for food?" he whined.

Hermione shook her head and looked to Harry and Ron. Both of them looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Oh, okay. Let's go see what there is."

They were walking over a bridge , and at the end of it, Hermione turned left.

"Princes Street." She said to herself.

"Right, you lot. Let's look for some food."

As she strode down the busy street, she wrinkled her nose at the McDonalds on her right. Instead, boys trailing after her, continued onward, coming to an abrupt halt in front of a department store.

"Perfect." She said.

Harry looked up at the name of the building they had stopped in front of.

"Marks and Spencer?" He said suspiciously. "Hermione…this is a department store. We don't have time to go shopping."

"No, you idiot. We aren't going in for clothing. We're getting something to eat" She said shaking her head, curls bouncing furiously.

Draco had wandered a little further down the block.

"Hey! I see food!" He exclaimed.

Hermione looked on with amused look as Ron and Harry took off toward the direction of Draco's voice.

Following them, she stepped into the small shop located to the left of the main entrance to Marks and Spencer.

Inside was a small grocery of sorts. Hermione smiled and picked out a serving of Chicken Provencale and a bottled strawberry and banana smoothie.

She got in line, and was soon joined by Harry, Ron, and Draco. While Harry and Draco had chosen sandwiched and bottles of sparkling water with a side of fruit salad, Rons arms were stuffed to bursting with a variety of sweets.

Harry and Hermione helped Ron and Draco to pay for their food, Draco grumbling about how stupid paper money was the whole while, and headed back out onto the street.

The sky was still gray, but did not seem to threaten rain, and so Harry pulled out the enchanted map Dumbledore had given them. Before leaving, Hermione had bewitched the back to appear as a normal Muggle map, rather than a piece of parchment.

"There's a park across the street," Harry announced.

"Great!" Ron exclaimed and began to cross the street.

Hermione grabbed his shoulder. "Ron, you have to wait for the light to change."

**8888888888888888888**

Moments later, the four were sitting along a bench, looking up at Edinburgh castle.

They were silent, each absorbed in their food.

After several moments, Ron held up a small confection shaped like a mushroom.

"You know, I thought these would be gross, but I think I like them even better than chocolate frogs!" He exclaimed.

Draco made a disgusted face at the treat.

"I would never bring myself to eat a sweet in the shape of a fungus," he said snottily.

Ron grinned widely, thought a moment, and then said, "Hey Draco?"

Draco opened his mouth to say, "Yes Roooo-aaaggggggghhhhhhhh"

Harry laughed loudly. Ron had stuffed a mushroom shaped sweet into Draco's open mouth.

Draco spluttered for several moments, then swallowed.

He glared at Ron for a moment.

"You know Ron…I'd have to get back at you for that if it hadn't actually tasted good."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the wait you guys…I could offer many excuses, but I won't. Also, I wouldn't recommend following Harry and Hermione's actions out in the Highlands…there is a hefty fine for taking that heather out of the country. Hope you enjoyed the update, I'll have more out soon, I promise! I really wanted to get this up today, or it won't get done, so I don't have time for individual responses to reviews. If you reviewed, thank you so much, I'll chat about them later! **

**Elizabeth**


	18. The Labyrinths

**Chp. 18: The Labyrinths**

Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ron stood outside of a small bed and breakfast. Hermione's shoulders ached from carrying her heavy rucksack around all day and her feet were blistering in her trainers.

The boys looked worse for wear as well, and Ron had been yawning widely for the quarter hour.

Hermione triple checked the slip of paper in her hands and nodded.

"Right. This is the place." She announced.

The boys followed her wordlessly into the entryway. The lilting sound of a fiddle playing a reel snuck through the home. The entryway was clean and bright, with a vase of flowers on the counter.

A bell sat next to the flowers with a sign directing them to ring for service, and Hermione rang it.

Several moments later, a slight woman in her late 60's shuffled out of the back room.

"Hello!" She said brightly to the young people

"Good evening," Draco said politely. "I believe we have arrangements to stay here."

"Oh, right. You must be the schoolchildren. I had a word with your headmaster a week ago, d'ye ken? Your rooms are upstairs, let me show you round."

Ron's eyes widened at the woman's accent, and watched as she bustled away.

"Coorie up!" Came her call from upstairs and the four hurried along.

At the top of the stairs was a small corridor with four doors.

The old woman stood with a pile of white towels in her arms smiling broadly.

"Now, you can take your pick of rooms, the bathroom is downstairs to your left, d'ye ken? My name is Mrs. MacRath, my man and I have the room downstairs if you need us. Will you be needing a wake up call in the morning?" She said quickly, handing the pile

Ron was still looking rather bewildered as to what the older woman was saying, and so Hermione cut in.

"We should probably be going around eight tomorrow morning. If you could wake us up around seven, that would be wonderful."

"Ay lass, I'll knock you up around seven then. Good night!" She called as she hustled down the stairs.

Draco and Ron giggled at this last phrase, and Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry, who was barely containing his own laughter.

"Honestly boys, it's just a saying." She huffed, and pushed open the door nearest to herself.

"I call this bedroom!"

She walked into a small room that had a narrow bed pushed up against the wall under the window. Next to it was a small writing desk and chest of drawers. The walls were painted a soft peach, and the carpet had a delightful spring to it.

Hermione tossed her rucksack on her bed and smiled.

The clear night sky twinkled at her through the glass of the window as she drew the curtains against the chilly draft.

Closing the door, she quickly changed into a pair of flannel pajamas, and swept her hair up into a ponytail.

She knocked lightly on the door across the hall from the room she had claimed as her own.

Draco poked his head around the door, smiled when he saw her and swung the door open.

The room mirrored her own, a dark blue bedspread spread over the mattress. The contents of Draco's rucksack and been dumped on top of the desk, and a bottle of shampoo had rolled underneath the wooden chair pulled up beside it.

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and nuzzled his nose against her neck. She giggled a little, fighting down the feeling of butterflies that always rose in her chest when he touched that particular bit of her.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

She twisted away from him and smiled before leaning in to kiss him passionately. His hands held her waist firmly to his middle, and when they finally broke apart, Hermione's lips were reddened and puffy.

She hugged his tightly and murmured into his ear, "I love you too Draco Malfoy."

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Harry knocked on Draco's door and opened it when he heard Draco call, "It's open."

He placed a set of towels on top of Draco's dresser and smiled at Hermione who was sitting next to Draco on the bed.

"I put a set of towels on your bed Hermione. I thought I'd find you here." Harry said as he took a seat on the door.

A moment later Ron burst through the bedroom door, looking indignant.

"Hey! How about telling a guy when you all are about to have some fun?" He said in mock anger.

Hermione tossed a pillow at him.

"Ron," she said sternly, "we are here on a mission. Not to 'have fun.' Now, I suggest we make a plan of action here."

The boys nodded, and the room was quiet for a while.

Draco walked over to his desk and pulled a notebook out from under a pile of clothing.

"Right. So, I've been doing a bit of research. Yeah, yeah, Hermione's rubbing off on me and all that rubbish. Anyways, I think we should visit the two most magically potent cites in the city. First, we should visit Arthur's Seat, as it has great properties of renewal. After that…we need to visit the labyrinths."

Ron whistled slowly, and Hermione sucked in her breath.

"Draco, mate. You know that is awfully dangerous, don't you?" Harry said softly.

"Harry, if we want to find this Horcrux and destroy it…you know we are going to have to visit the labyrinths. It's the most likely spot for Voldemort to have hidden it," Draco said in a whisper.

"Draco's right, Harry," Ron chimed in, "we're going to have to go there."

"I think that we should all go to bed tomorrow…we'll need to plan this come morning, but for now we had better rest up," Hermione said sensibly.

The four friends bade each other goodnight, and left Draco's room.

Draco lay on his bed and listened to the sounds of his friends readying themselves for bed. He stared out the window at the crisp twinkle of the stars as the rooms around him quieted.

The home was nearly silent, and Draco was sure he was the only one left awake. He couldn't sleep because deep in his belly, icy fingers of fear clenched at his insides. He had been in the labyrinths once, and he did not wish to go there ever again.

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Ron groaned as the sharp rapping on his door.

"Up with ye, it's seven hours, d'ye ken? Breakfast downstairs in half an hour!" Came the cheery voice of Mrs. MacRath.

The mention of breakfast succeeded in getting Ron out of bed. The sweets he had feasted on for lunch the previous day were long gone, and the rumbling in his stomach was already driving him mad.

Tossing on a pair of trousers and a rugby shirt, Ron dashed downstairs to the bathroom.

When he emerged, he found his friends already seated around the breakfast table.

Hermione was immersed in a newspaper, while Draco stared blankly at the ceiling. Harry looked exhausted, and was rubbing his eyes rather furiously.

Ron sat at the table and exchanged pleasantries with the others. An amiable silence prevailed until Mrs. MacRath came bustling through the door from the kitchen, a plate of steaming bannocks in her hands.

Next came out bowls of porridge and plates of sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs along with several items Ron could not identify.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at the plate of dark circles and Ron looked at her quizzically.

"Black Pudding."

Chuckling, Draco helped himself to several slices, and Hermione shuddered.

"How on Earth can you bring yourself to eat that?" She asked with distaste.

"Try it. It's good, I promise." Draco said with a grin.

Hermione turned her nose up. "No thank you."

Harry helped himself to the newest addition to the spread, potato scones.

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Twenty minutes later, Ron shoved his plate away from him, rubbing his full stomach.

"Thanks so much for breakfast, Mrs. MacRath," Harry said, and the others chimed in enthusiastically.

"Not a problem. Now, off you go, I'm sure you've plenty of work to get done." Mrs. MacRath said with a smile.

**88888888888888888888**

After wandering through the shops for a while, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco found themselves nestled in a small café at the foot of the Royal Mile, having bowls of chocolate soup.

Hermione was pouring through her notes making marks here and there with a Biro. Finally, she looked up.

"I've got it. We'll need to rise early tomorrow, in order to climb Arthur's seat before sunrise. And then, once it gets dark…we'll pay a visit to the labyrinths."

Ron gulped audibly at the thought of visiting the labyrinths in the dark.

Several minutes later, the four friends were headed back to the B&B, where Hermione planned to start work on a healing potion that involved heather. The potion would be most potent, she had learned, if it was brewed on top of a hill at sunrise. Thus, the four planned on climbing Arthur's Seat the next morning and getting to work.

**88888888888888888**

Setting off in darkness, wrapped in their warmest clothes, Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Ron headed towards the King's Park surrounding Arthur's Seat.

To get there, they cut through the University of Edinburgh dormitories, and across a field. The wind blew fiercely at them, and Hermione hugged her arms around herself.

When they reached the base of the hill, they looked at each other apprehensively. It was going to be a long climb.

There were two routes to take up Arthur's Seat. One was as easy climb, but took much longer than the way they had agreed to climb. The path in front of them was rocky and steep, and without a word, they began to scramble up the path.

Thirty minutes later, faces numb from the overpowering wind, they reached the top of Arthur's Seat.

The boys say breathing heavily, but Hermione was all business.

She pulled out her portable cauldron and lit a small fire under it.

The eastern sky was just beginning to glow softly as Hermione added the last ingredients to the potion.

As daylight broke, and light illuminated the slumbering city at their feet, she stirred the potion a final time as it turned a warm peach.

Sighing contentedly, Hermione looked out over the city of Edinburgh. Walking over to stand beside Draco, she leaned against him and he put an arm around her shoulder, pressing his lips briefly to the side of her head.

The scene before them was beautiful. Behind them, the first rays of morning sun glinted off the water, while before them; sunlight slowly crept across the city, casting shadows and areas of brilliant light across the city.

Harry was grinning widely at Ron, who had clambered up a rocky outcropping to the highest point of Arthur's Seat.

"I'M KING OF THE WORLD!" he bellowed and then smiled down at his friends.

They shared one last moment of beauty and truth before facing the labyrinths.

**8888888888888888888888888888**

"Ugh." Harry said, poking at the steaming dish in front of him.

"That's disgusting." Ron said, making a face.

"It looks like someone already ate it." Draco said.

"Oh grow up you three. It's not poison." Hermione huffed.

"This coming from the woman who wouldn't eat black pudding." Draco sneered.

"What's this? You can't come to Scotland and not try haggis!" Mrs. MacRath said cheerily. "Now then, who'll have bashed neeps and chappit tatties?"

Hermione bravely bit into the dish in front of her, and to her surprise, enjoyed the flavor that filled her mouth.

"Go on, try it," she urged as Mrs. MacRath left the room laughing to herself.

Glum expression on faces, the boys put some haggis into their mouths.

"You know, this isn't half bad!" Ron exclaimed.

Draco and Harry, however, stuck to the mashed turnips and potatoes that had been served alongside the main course.

**88888888888888888888888**

Night had fallen on the city, and the four were apprehensively inching along a side street of the city.

"This gives me the creepers," Ron said hoarsely.

"We aren't even underground yet, mate" Harry whispered back.

They reached the apartment that gave access to the rooms under the city, once used for storage, and then as housing for the city's poor.

When the city of Edinburgh burnt down, centuries ago, all the city's poor had been trapped. They suffocated under the city, and to this day, Edinburgh is rumored to be one of the most haunted cities in the world. The four were traveling, unguided, into the underbelly of the city, where Dark Wizards had come for years to draw on the awful energy that radiated from the labyrinths of the city.

Hermione gripped Draco's hand as they climbed through the wall into the tunnel.

Several ghosts floated sadly about the tunnel, and Harry shuddered as one walked through him.

Draco felt sick to his stomach. This place was disgustingly familiar, and he strode quickly to a room off the hallway.

There was a roped off circle in the center of the room, and he stepped into it without hesitation.

Instantly, he was wracked with pain. He cried out, but motioned to his friends not to touch him.

After several moments, he fell to the ground in a heap, sweat along his upper lip.

An orb appeared in the air above him, and Draco stood weakly. Taking it in his hand, he took out his wand.

"_Malicia_."

The orb glowed a sinister green, and disappeared. In Draco's hand was a key.

He climbed out of the circle and held the key out to his friends.

"You've been here before." Harry said with sudden understanding.

"You aren't trained in the Dark Arts. You'll need me to guide you through here." Draco said, ignoring Harry's comment and shaking slightly.

Hermione put her hand to his face briefly, sadness in her eyes.

Draco squeezed her hand quickly and then led the way into a room next to the one they had just been in.

A corridor branched off from the room, and Harry muttered "_Lumos._"

Using the white light emitting from Harry's wand, the four wandered through the stone corridors. When they came to a dead end, Draco stopped them.

He placed his hand on the wall and pulled away a stone knife. Looking at it as if he were going to be sick, he motioned to Hermione.

"You need to cut me."

"No." She said, eyes wide.

"Look Hermione, if you don't, we can't get in. The blood of a loved one must be shed for us to gain access to the room beyond this wall, and I sure as hell am not going to cut you."

Eyes glistening with tears, Hermione took the knife from Draco and make a small cut along his arm.

"More, Hermione." He said through gritted teeth.

Trembling, she cut deeper and watched as blood trickled down Draco's arm.

"Now," he said hoarsely, "wipe the blood from my arm onto the wall."

Hermione tried to wipe the blood from his arm gently, but he still hissed in pain. Sobbing softly, she smeared a streak of Draco's blood along the wall. The stone dissolved, revealing a dank chamber.

"This must be what inspired Voldemort's hiding place for the locket." Harry said to himself, remember how Dumbledore had been forced to shed his own blood to gain access to the cave.

Ron had entered the room and was looking around.

In the corner of the room was a tangle of leaves.

Draco looked at it then closed his eyes.

"He'll have hidden it there," he said softly.

Harry looked at his quizzically, and Draco continued.

"Those plants will instantly kill anyone but a wizard experienced in the Dark Arts. Only the most elite of Death Eater would stand a chance of getting through to the brand behind those plants."

"How are we supposed to get at it then?" Hermione asked in a small voice, already knowing and fearing the answer.

"I'll have to try."

"No, you can't mate! You just said that only the most experienced Death Eater would be able to get through!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's the only way," Draco said.

He stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed in concentration. Breathing deeply several times, he held his wand in front of him.

"_Per malus opus, ego adeo vita."_

He tapped the wand on top of his head and his body seemed to convulse. When he opened his eyes, there was a hardened look to his face.

"Out of my way, Potter." He sneered.

Hermione was looking at him oddly, and he turned to her.

"Mudblood slut. I won't have your wandering eyes dirty my person." He spat.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears, but she said nothing.

Draco strode over to the plants in the corner of the room and reached into them. His face contorted in pain, but he did not flinch.

Moving his arm around, he pulled out a small dirty package.

His arm was blackened with sores, and as he glanced down at it, he began to writhe scream incoherently.

Hermione rushed over to him, pulling the potion they had made that morning out of her pocket.

Harry and Ron held Draco down, and Hermione poured some of the potion over his arm, as he was flailing to violently to get any in his mouth.

After some moments, Draco stopped moving.

He glared at them with the same hard look, but Harry could see a pleading expression underneath the stony mask. Grabbing his wand, Harry yelled:

"_Reverso malus opus_"

Draco blinked hard several times, and sat up rubbing his head.

"Thanks Harry." He said, and grabbed Hermione's hand in silent apology. She squeezed back, letting him know all was well.

Harry had taken the dirty little package from its place on the floor as Hermione made Draco drink the rest of the healing potion.

"We're going to need everyone to do this." Ron said gravely.

Nodding, the four surrounded the package and pointed their wands at it.

"_Prosterno._" They said in perfect unison

Jets of brilliant blue light shot from their wands, and the explosive force of the spell hitting the brand knocked them all backwards.

Scrambling to their feet, they looked at the hole in the stone that had once been a Horcrux.

A low groan was slowly building to a scream around them, and Ron yelled,

"Let's get out of here!"

The four friends raced from the labyrinths and emerged into the cold night air, breathing heavily.

A Muggle couple walked past, hand in hand, looking quizzically at the panting teenagers.

**888888888888888888888888888888888**

Back at the B&B once more, Hermione climbed into bed, exhausted.

They had made wonderful time on the trip, barely missing any classes and accomplishing their mission.

She though of what it would be to be back in school the following day as well as the events of that evening. Tears welled up in her eyes as she though of how she had cut Draco's arm open.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, but she relaxed when she was that it was Draco.

"What's the matter, beautiful?" he asked her kindly.

"Nothing…I was just…thinking…" she said tiredly.

"I want you to know how proud I am of you for tonight. I know how hard it is to do that to someone you love, Hermione, and I'm glad you trusted in me enough to follow my directions." He said to her, holding her body close to his.

She nodded into his chest.

He kissed her forehead and lay down, holding her to him.

They fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**A/N: Well, how did you like it? A big action chapter, finally! This was a long chapter for me, but I thought it best to get it all out in one go instead of dividing it up. I was a little sad about how few reviews I got for the last chapter, but really, nothing too interesting happened, so I understand why that might be. For those of you who did review, this monster chapter is dedicated to YOU! Thanks so much! In other news, if you are confused about any of the Scots terms I use here, feel free to ask…I'm pretty sure they are all self-explanatory though. And yes. Haggis actually is good. You all should try it at some point in your lives!**

**xx Zenon xx**: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you liked this chapter!

**Kill-me-if harry-dies**: Thank you, thank you! Takes bow

**aerochick06**: So did I! I can't wait for it to come out!!

**Well, that's all! Please, Please, Please…tell me what you thought! Like it, hate it, think it needs more of this or that….I'd love to hear it!**

Elizabeth 


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